Re: Breeding
Goldfish
<<Will tubercles show on the males and the
females fill with eggs as soon as these fish hit their breeding
age? Do you think that any fish store will take my
'good quality' goldfish to sell (how much per fish do you
think?)? You have been most helpful with my
problems>><Please read here:
Breeding Goldfishes Bob Fenner>

goldfish spawning behavior-when to intervene?
4/21/15
Hi
<Cath>
I have done some searching on goldfish behavior, and understand that the
"harassment" of the female by the male is normal spawning behavior, but I want
to know when I should intervene (if at all)?
<A good question, and a valid concern. I would intervene when it was obvious the
male/s were overly harassing the female. Either move her elsewhere or insert a
divider>
I have a 55 gallon tank with a Fluval U4 and 3 goldfish. They're a good
3-4 in each. I got them brought in here from someone who decided he no longer
wanted goldfish in his pond, only koi,
<Best to have one or t'other>
and was just pulling the goldfish out and tossin em up on the shore to die. So I
asked him to please bring them to me instead. And I would keep/rehome them as
appropriate. I chose these 3 to keep. I appear to have 2 males and 1 female, but
wasn't sure about that till today when I started seeing spawning behavior.
I understand that you want more females than males,
<Mmm; for spawning; no. Two, three males per female... to assure fertilization.
Commercial concerns house the sexes separately; placing them together
intentionally when they are in spawning condition>
but also do not want to overstock my tank, so I want to keep the addition of
fish to a minimum, but still keep peace in the tank. I did go and get one more
female, a bit smaller than the others (limited selection at the store). So
there's now 2 of each, I believe. The larger of the two males is chasing the
larger female fairly relentlessly. I'm wondering when (or if) I should intervene
and pull someone for a bit?
<As above>
I know fish are susceptible to stress, but also was reading that this behavior
is normal, and don't want to overreact to what I, as a human, feel is too rough.
I read some on here and elsewhere about the behavior, but didn't see that
particular question of intervention answered...?
<You don't want to wait till there are scales missing, fins split...>
Please advise
Cathy
<Bob Fenner>
Re: goldfish spawning behavior-when to intervene?
4/21/15
Thanks for the advice Bob.
<Ah, welcome>
She already has scales missing on both sides of her body (much of which she had
when she came to me-so I've added some Melafix
<Of no use... in fact, more trouble than benefit>
to the water, hoping to prevent bacterial infection), so I just got back from
the store where I purchased a tank divider.
<Ah good>
It's not a perfect fit. I bought the one for the 55 gallon tank, but it's not
quite right. Maybe they're designed for glass tanks, instead of acrylic?
<Possibly... though both "stock dimensions" are about the same.... 13" wide...>
It appears that it would keep him from getting through to the other side... but
she can pass through. Would she just use the escape route if she wants, and go
through the side where he's too big to follow?
<Mmm; not likely enough>
Because she was on "her side" of the divider, and just chose to come over to be
with the boys... If it's necessary for me to come up with a better solution,
completely preventing her from sneakin over to the boys' side, maybe taking one
of them out of the tank altogether, how long do I keep them separated?
<Weeks>
Until all of her scales are completely healed? And is there an approximate
amount of time that might take (so I have a sense of how "permanent" a
solution we're needing?
<Another tank, trading one sex or the other in?>
Talk with you soon
Cathy
<BobF>

Re: goldfish spawning behavior-when to intervene?
"Fix" scams 4/22/15
Mornin Bob :)
<Cate!>
Ok so here's what I did... s'alright? Fits better than the one I bought,
and allows for better water movement through the tank.
<Ah yes; nicely done>
I'm curious, you said Melafix/Pimafix were more trouble than they were
worth? I'm wondering why?
<They have no demonstrated pharmacological property/ies, and do at times
interfere with nitrification. They're scams>
And what would you suggest instead?
<Reading. See WWM re>
Both females have a little something on their top fins. White, soft looking, I'm
guessing fungus... I am struggling to get a picture of it, because it's still so
small on both of them. Wondering what you'd advise I use instead of the Pimafix?
<Do you need help using the search tool, indices... See the FAQs re Diseases of
GF>
Thanks :)
Cathy
<Welcome! B>

Goldfish spawn regularly, but eggs never hatch
10/20/14
Hello,
<Amanda>
I have somewhat of a puzzling issue. My fancy goldfish spawn every 3-4weeks in my 50 gal aquarium (oddly, in the afternoon while I am
at work,never at dawn), but the eggs never
seem to develop past thevisible-eyes/shadows
stage. I tried hand spawning once, and the result wasthe same. The eggs are NOT infertile; they simply never hatch. I
have triedvarious containers, including
moving the eggs to a separate aquarium
and floating them inside a mesh breeder in the main tank, but
inevitably,after several days they shrivel up
and disintegrate, no matter theconditions (I
have tried hatch temps between 68 and 75F). I am planning to
try Methylene blue next time, but the fungus doesn't seem to be setting
inuntil after the eggs have started to wither
away. The only additives in thewater are
Ultimate water conditioner, Flourish and Excel. Could any of
these be causing the problem?
<Water quality possibly; or that there's no male present, the eggs
haven't been fertilized>
My last successful spawning was over a year ago, and I was whollyunprepared for it (I actually wrote to you - the title was
"Goldfish laideggs in aquarium; want to
ensure best care for fry"). Those were my
boyfriend's fish, and they haven't spawned since. The fish I am writingabout now are my fish at my home tank, which I've had since
February. If ithelps, my water parameters for
tank and tap are: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0nitrate,
<How is NO3 rendered thus?>
8.1 pH, 13 drops GH, and 10 drops KH (using API drops). I do a 75%water change weekly, use a strong canister filter and have 4
goldfish (3females and 1 male, all probably
2-3 years old).
<Mmm; should have more males than females for spawning>
I also wanted to mention an interesting observation. When I pick up myveiltail for gill exams, etc., who I suspect is doing the bulk of
thespawning, she always releases some eggs.
However, the eggs are not round
asI would expect; they are shaped
irregularly. Does this mean they aresimply
not developed, or could there be a problem with her eggs?
<Could be>
I havenever caught these fish in the act, but
when I see eggs on the plants whenI come home
they are shaped normally (round). So, I suspect the eggsPanache releases when I pick her up are just undeveloped, but I
just wantedto verify that.
Thank you!
Amanda
<You might try separating the male until... bringing on spawning through
a massive water change with cooler water.
Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish spawn regularly, but eggs never hatch
10/20/14
> Thanks Bob! I know, isn't it weird that my nitrates are always at 0?
It> has been like this in every tank I've
ever had, no matter what substrate (or
lack of substrate) I have. I did some research into this and it
appears> that I may have bacteria present in
my tanks that are capable of consuming nitrate.
I have come across several other aquarists who have the same phenomenon, but we haven't found any common factor that
sticks out. The only other unusual thing
about my tank is that we have very hard water
here, but I'm not sure if that could be related.
I bought most of my fish at auctions and was only aware of the sex of
one,so it was just bad luck for breeding that
I ended up with only one male. Ido hope he
doesn't have a fertility problem; that would be such a shame ashe is a stunning purple butterfly.
I can certainly try separating my male and then doing a big water changewith cooler water. For how many days should I separate him, and
do I do thewater change immediately after
reintroducing him to the main tank?
<Keep the sexes separated permanently until you want to spawn them
really.
The water change out can occur the same day. Bob Fenner>

Baby goldfish color change age? 7/20/2014
My 2 largest and oldest baby goldfish are going through their color
changes. (Largest one in the lower right of the picture I sent.) What at
what age do pond goldfish usually go through color changes? Thank you.
<A few months. B>
Thank you Bob! :)

Gravid black moor in trouble! 12/20/13
Hi Neale (and crew):
<I will forward this msg. to Neale; but in case he's busy w/ the
holidays, I would go forward with the increased temperature and Epsom
use. Bob Fenner>
I have a question regarding a little black moor- she has been gravid for
quite some time and has not released her eggs. She has released eggs
three times between June and September so I am positive that she is
gravid and not suffering from Ascites. I was expecting her to release
the eggs about 6 weeks ago as she is as fat and square as she was the
last few times but nothing has happened. I have been monitoring her
quite closely and notice that her belly has been getting progressively
mushier- and I fear that the eggs may be deteriorating: I lost a
gorgeous Oranda to infected eggs and don't want a repeat. A
frantic slew of questions: Is there something I can do to help her
release the eggs? Would Epsom salt or a temperature increase do
anything? I do have a known male in another tank that I could put in
with her if I absolutely had to (I really don't want fertilized eggs).
Would gently massaging her sides help? Should I consider treating
the mushy belly
with antibiotic food?
Thank you and Happy Holidays to you!
Gina de Almeida
Gravid black moor in trouble! /Neale
12/21/13
Hi Neale (and crew):
I have a question regarding a little black moor- she has been gravid for
quite some time and has not released her eggs. She has released eggs
three times between June and September so I am positive that she is
gravid and not suffering from Ascites. I was expecting her to release
the eggs about 6 weeks ago as she is as fat and square as she was the
last few times but nothing has happened. I have been monitoring her
quite closely and notice that her belly has been getting progressively
mushier- and I fear that the eggs may be deteriorating: I lost a
gorgeous Oranda to infected eggs and don't want a repeat. A
frantic slew of questions: Is there something I can do to help her
release the eggs?
<Not for certain.>
Would Epsom salt
<May help, but if the eggs are dead and decaying, the problem will be
bacterial infection and treatment will be more complicated. An
antibiotic certainly, and possibly a trip to the vet for extra help or
even surgery.>
or a temperature increase do anything?
<Only if the water is very cold, below 10 degrees C. At room temperature
Goldfish should be happy and healthy.>
I do have a known male in another tank
<Could help.>
that I could put in with her if I absolutely had to (I really don't want
fertilized eggs).
<Least of your problems.>
Would gently massaging her sides help?
<Possibly, bit just as likely to cause damage to internal organs.>
Should I consider treating the mushy belly with antibiotic food?
<See above.>
Thank you and Happy Holidays to you!
Gina
<And likewise to you, cheers, Neale.>

sick Oranda.. & repro. f'
9/20/13
Hello.
<Jan>
I was wondering if you could give me some advice on my female Oranda,..
I have had her for 9 years,, She as been well up to about 4 days ago..
I noticed she shed some eggs, then after that day she hasn't eaten
and has this long white stringy looking skin type of poo tube.. But with
no poo in it......The stringy thing releases after a day or so then it
starts to come
out again.........
<Part of the egg shedding; not to worry>
I took her out of the tank to see if she had anyhting stuck in her throat.
But there is nothing....She is swimming and breathing Ok. But my worry
is she is not eating...... it has now been five days.... As I picked her
up I noticed a creamy white substance coming out of her bottom..........
<Nor re this>
I have spoken to two different people at different fish stores.
One
said she may have a tumour and I should euthanise her............
<What? No>
The other said she could be going through a healing process after
spawning because of her age...... and If she's not eating in
7 days use salt....
Which he didn't really recommend''..
<Perhaps a modicum of Epsom. Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
I hope you can help me I don't really want to lose her.........
<Certainly>
Thank you Jan Barker..........
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Re: sick Oranda.. 9/22/13
Dear Bob.
I want to thank you for your very useful information.. It's nice to know
there are people like you out there.
If I had taken notice of my so called fish expert friend at the
pond shop... My lovely girl would be dead now. She has started to eat a
little thank goodness I have been putting fry food in the water
and she must have
been getting some goodness from it.. The pooless tube is still coming
out of
her bottom... Do you have any idea how long this can go on for ??? and
is it
doing her harm.......
<A few more days and no harm whatsoever. There are some folks (even
here) that might suggest using a modicum of salt/s; but I would do
nothing here period>
Thank you again, I am most grateful..
Jan Barker.
<Glad to set your mind to ease. Cheers, BobF>

Re My fish 9/30/13
Dear Bob
<Hey Jan>
I wanted to send you a picture of my now well, lovely
Oranda... At least I think she is an Oranda I got her in a mixed bunch
9 years ago as a baby....
I was very grateful for your useful information..
<Ahh!>
Imagine putting that lovely face in the freezer as,,, My so called expert
fish keeper suggested.
Thank you again .Jan Barker..........
<Life to you my friend. BobF>

Goldfish laid eggs in aquarium; want to ensure best care for
fry 9/18/13
Hi WWM crew,
On Saturday night, I found my Ryukin and telescope chasing my black moor
all around their 50 gal aquarium. Knowing that goldfish
lay eggs into plants, I pulled up the live plants (Amazon sword and
Elodea) from the gravel and floated them at the surface. Starting at
midnight, the black moor started laying eggs in multiple batches into
the plants. I put a mesh breeder into the tank and scooped up about 20
eggs using it. The rest were eaten by the other fish or fell to the
ground; I did a thorough gravel vacuum in the morning to prevent any
fungus issues. The eggs I caught have remained in the mesh breeder
floating in the 50 gal.
Yesterday, I saw that the eggs had eyes, and my boyfriend called me a
few hours ago and said that it looks like they are now beginning to show
signs of a tail. I was reading through old WWM entries on this to try to
get as much info as possible, and noticed several entries stating that
it was highly unlikely that goldfish will spawn in an aquarium. But not
only did this happen in my 50 gal; the two male Orandas in my 36 gal are
also showing breeding tubercles (though there is no female fish in that
tank at the moment). I wonder why I am so lucky? They are fed a varied
diet of Hikari pellets, Tetra flake food, Hikari frozen Spirulina/brine
shrimp, and dried bloodworms. I have only been feeding the varied diet
(as opposed to Tetra flake food only) for the past few months in
response to research into goldfish nutrition; is this likely what
prompted the spawning? I live in California, where there is little
change among the seasons. I have not witnessed this before and it is
very exciting. I just want to make sure that I am doing everything right
as it all happened so suddenly; I did not know my black moor was full of
eggs until the males started chasing her around.
I am emailing you because I would like to get YOUR opinion on fry food,
and also on where I should raise them.
<The "where" is easy, a 10+ gallon aquarium away from the adults.
Juvenile fish are very sensitive to nitrate and the other chemicals that
build up in busy tanks, and frequent small water changes are crucial to
long term success. This is doubly true for eggs, which get fungused very
quickly if water movement isn't sufficient. Old school aquarists used
Methylene Blue (at about half the dose instructed on the packaging for
treating sick fish) together with an airstone placed nearby the eggs to
keep oxygenated water moving.>
I have been doing a lot of research over the past few days into fry
care, but have found a wide variety of opinions as usual, and you guys
have not led me astray in the past. I could keep them in the mesh
breeder in the 50 gal (if you recommend this option, for how long?),
<Would not, unless you're doing this just for fun and don't mind the
majority of eggs and fry dying, as you'd likely end up with just one or
two fry a half inch or so long after 4-6 weeks.>
or I could put them in a 6 in. high, 20 gal tank by themselves.
<A better choice if you want to rear a sizeable batch of fry.>
Water quality and filtration are excellent in all tanks, and all have
been cycled. With regard to food, I found several websites recommending
to hard-boil an egg and mash it up in the tank water; is this sound
advice?
<It can work, but more because the egg yolk promotes growth of
infusoria, and that's what the fry end up eating for the most part.>
Or is there something better you recommend?
<By default, a decent liquid of powdered fry food will be adequate for a
non-serious approach to rearing Goldfish fry; something like Liquifry
for egg-layers or Hikari First Bites.>
Would you recommend the Hikari frozen Spirulina/brine shrimp once they
reach a certain level of maturity?
<Certainly worth trying if you have these foods and use them anyway. Try
a little and see what happens. Unlikely to be much use for fry under an
inch long though. Not a replacement for newly-hatched brine shrimp!>
If so, how old should they be? Should I float aquatic plants for them to
nibble the algae off of?
<Java Moss is great for this, but an air-powered sponge filter is just
as good.>
And finally, if any fish are born with severe deformities, would you
suggest freezing those fish as a method of euthanasia (I am emotionally
dreading this part, but if I have to do it ...)?
<I prefer Clove Oil, 30 drops to a litre will make a safe, painless
killing bath. On the whole vets don't recommend the use of iced water
for killing fish. Do read elsewhere on WWM re: euthanasia.>
Thank you very much for your help in advance!
Amanda
<Good luck, Neale.>
RE: Goldfish laid eggs in aquarium; want to ensure best care for fry
9/18/13
Thank you Neale! You guys are so very helpful.
<Most welcome, Neale.>

Fish eggs 5/13/13
Hello!
I just returned home to find hundreds of eggs in my black moor's
tank. There have adhered to everything and are all through the
substrate! They are not fertilized and I need to get them out before
they rot. Is there an easy way to do this? Do I need to add a bit of
salt or anything to the tank?
Thank you:
Gina
<This can be trouble for the livestock... I'd remove them to elsewhere
pronto, and dump the tank out completely... rinse the gravel, scrub the
sides down... Granular salt can be use on glass tanks... Bob Fenner>
Re: Fish eggs 5/13/13
Thanks, Bob-
I got them all out but that was NOT fun- those eggs are stuck like glue.
I hope this doesn't happen often!
<Ah yes... a mess; that with decomposition can really be trouble. B>

Re: Goldfish might be egg bound 6/11/12
Just as a follow up on the Oranda, she has passed. She put up a good
fight but as she tried to swim she was bumping her wen on the bottom of
the aquarium and developed irritation that kept worsening. Seeing
her suffer was too much so I put her down gently. I hope to never go
through that again.
<Thank you for this follow up. BobF>

Immaculate Conception in Goldfish
6/1/12
I have a question that I cannot seem to find an answer for despite
extensive searching of your forums in addition to Google web searches.
Can a juvenile Common Goldfish survive for months living in the canister
part of a canister filter???
<Mmm, likely so; yes>
Let me explain...
I have a 55 gallon bow front tank that houses 6 Goldfish (1 Common, 1
Comet, 1 Shubunkin, 1 Pearlscale, 1 Oranda & 1 Black Moor) and 2 Gold
Dojo Loaches. (*Note: I realize this is too many Goldfish for this
size tank but I'm in the process of setting up a 700+ gallon pond
outside and the Common, Comet & Shubunkin will be moving out in a month
or so.)
<Ah good>
Late last year I did a complete overhaul of this tank, which included the
addition of a canister filter for more efficient filtration of the
Goldfish waste.
<Also good>
Everything has been great since the overhaul and all of my fish have been
happy and healthy in their new, cleaner, environment. I admit I
was negligent in remembering to clean the canister filter and it
had been over two months since I had last cleaned it.
Last weekend I unhooked the canister to clean it, and the associated
hoses.
I pulled the media basket out of the canister and was preparing to dump
the dirty water in the sink when I noticed a movement in the canister.
Further investigation revealed a small, approx. 1 inch long, juvenile
Common Goldfish!?
<Neat!>
At first I was horrified that this poor fish had been living in the
canister filter, then I was perplexed as to how such a small fish got
into my tank and subsequently into the canister filter. I've never
had a fish that small. My Common and Comet were "carnival" fish
that I've had for over 2 years and they have grown from a couple of
inches to approx. 6 inches each now. All of the others were added
last year and they were all large enough to avoid being picked on by the
large Common and Comet.
So then I start thinking that maybe the juvenile is the result of a
fertilized egg that was sucked into the filtration system and somehow
managed to survive by feeding off of the food particles and algae that
was brought into the filter (that was well overdue for a cleaning).
I
started researching this possibility online and everything I've read
says:
1) Goldfish DO NOT breed in captivity and 2) Goldfish fry need a
very clean environment to survive.
<Mmm, I disagree. They DO definitely breed in captivity... and often in
less than ideal water quality>
I'm not hallucinating...I have the picture to prove it...Have you ever
experienced anything like this?
<Not a goldfish in a canister, but many other species, yes>
Although Goldfish are not supposed to breed in captivity, my Common
Goldfish swells up a couple times of year and the other fish chase her
around relentlessly. Not being familiar with Goldfish breeding, I
just assumed the swelling was a tumor or constipation and the other fish
was chasing her sensing her weakened state (although she was acting and
eating normally during these times). The Common's swelling is
asymmetrical, more on the left side of it's body. The swelling
disappeared after approx. 3 weeks and I was glad the fish wasn't sick
but I never did figure out why the swelling had occurred in the first
place. I noticed last week that the Common is swelling up again on
it's left side but there is no chasing behavior from the other
fish yet. The Common is approx. 6 inches in length.
So... the only conclusion I have come to is either a Goldfish defied the
rules and spawned or this juvenile Goldfish is the product of Immaculate
Conception. :)
<Mmm, not so immaculate>
The juvenile is very active and aside from red, irritated-looking gills,
eating well and thriving. I moved it into it's own 5 gallon tank
where it's zooming around, happy to be free from the confines of the
canister filter.
<Appears very healthy>
I've attached a couple photos of the juvenile and another photo of the
Common Goldfish (foreground of photo) that has exhibited spawning
behavior in the past.
Thank you,
Sara M.
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Re: Immaculate Conception in
Goldfish
6/1/12Thank you, Bob, for confirming that I'm not crazy! Will make
sure I clean the canister filter regularly now and stay on the lookout for
more "surprises" since I obviously have at least one frisky female (and
male) in the tank.
Thank you,
Sara M.
<Welcome Sara. BobF>

Goldfish fry & dominance or bullying
issue... repro. f' 3/15/12
Hi I hope you can assist me I did search and read a lot of the postings
but did not see this particular issue addressed. A brief explanation of
my aquarium set up and situation. We had 2 common goldfish & 2
comets in a pond and when winter came rescued them brought them inside
put them in a 10 gallon tank -
<Much too small>
I know too small - we then added 2 fan tail goldfish about 6
months later - they all survived reasonably well in this situation with
a basic waterfall filter.
<Mmm, no... metabolite build up, exposure... is damaging>
We had intentions of re-introducing them to the pond this past
summer but became worried about birds eating them and other factors. We
then purchased a 90 gallon tank moved the 2 commons & 2 comets over
to my boyfriend's condo and left the 2 younger smaller fantails in
the 10 gallon tank. My home has a water softener
<Get, use the water from "outside"... Goldfish like hard,
alkaline water conditions>
that also de-chlorinates and I used Nutrafin Aqua+. He used Stability
in the tank for about 8 days prior to moving the fish &
misunderstood this to be a de-chlorinator - we were informed by the
aquarium store that this was all we would need to treat the water -
<? Maybe... what re cycling the biofilter? Water quality test
results?>
they were fine when moved as I assume the chlorine had evaporated
during the 8 days. About 4-5 weeks after moving the 4 fish he did a
water change treating the water with Stability the 4 fish all perished
within 2 hours. It was pretty upsetting. The day before they died he
noticed one of the comets chasing the other aggressively (we
now understand this to mating behaviour).
<No... too small>
3-4 days after the adults died he was cleaning the tank and discovered
that there were fry in the tank.
<? Not goldfish>
There were probably 50 or so but through ignorance and
misinformation we did not properly get the pump intakes covered in
enough time or realize we needed to remove the fry from the large tank.
By the time we did remove them we had 4 fry - we moved them to my
10 gallon tank and filled it only half full and are using a sponge
filter. We then move the two fantails to the 90 gallon tank and they
are happy.
Anyhow it is quite miraculous that the goldfish fry survived and we
feel very guilty and sad about the adults dying - although they would
have likely eaten all the eggs and the fry. We are trying to do
everything to properly care for and keep the babies alive. One did
perish after about 2 weeks - 3 are alive and now about 6 weeks old. I
am operating a clean tank with no media on the bottom and no plants,
sponge filter & am changing 25% water and siphoning out any uneaten
food daily. I treat the water with Prime & Stability. I was feeding
them 3-6 times daily mashed up in tank water Spirulina which I aspirate
into the tank with a syringe, I alternated in the past month with
crushed up flakes also aspirated into the tank. They seem to eat and
like both equally. I have a test kit and all of my chemical levels are
exactly in line.
<Ok>
The problem. About a week ago I noticed that one of the fry seemed to
have tripled in size almost overnight. 2 had been about the same size
initially with the third a lot smaller - now I seemed to have one that
was twice as long and 3x as wide as the other two. The two smaller ones
started acting strangely zipping along the surface like they were on
scooters or something - dashing and darting along crazily sometimes
even colliding. This went on for a few days and I noticed that they
were staying mostly near the surface or an inch or so below the
surface. This behaviour got worse and they seemed to be staying only on
the top of the water at the edges of the tank. I spoke with the
aquarium store and they told me it was likely a dominance issue
<? Doubtful>
within the tank and that I needed to separate the larger fry from the
other two with a screen. I went out and bought the screen separating
them and paying closer attention to the smaller fry behavior &
thought they were also having swim bladder problems as they were now
not venturing off the surface and sticking to sides of tank and lying
on their sides at times. This had occurred before with one of our
fantails so I knew that feeding them peas could work. Hard to do when
the peas sink and the fry are staying at surface. I read online that
using a toothpick might work - well for about 3 times over the next day
I chased them around their space with a pea on a toothpick I did see
them eat it on occasion - the rest of the time they seemed to think I
was chasing them with a big green bat and kept trying to escape it. The
aquarium store said that if it was a dominance issue the fry may be too
frightened to go down to the bottom of the tank to eat and it might
take a couple of days before they will realize it is safe to do so.
In the meantime I thought if it was a swim bladder issue they might die
first.
Since I both separated them and started feeding them peas at the same
time I do not really know what the issue was. After one day they were
able to swim down further and I definitely saw they had a buoyancy
issue as they would swim part way down and then bob back up like a
balloon and could not stay down. By the end of about 24 hours they were
able to go to the bottom of the tank and they ate voraciously for about
3-4 hours bobbing up and down on their noses like they were pogo
sticks. They have plumped out again and regained their normal vigor and
are eating and swimming fine. So now I don't know what to do about
removing the divider and putting all 3 back together again
<Should be fine>
I can't find anything about this anywhere. The larger one is
still at least double the size of each of the smaller ones. I know that
goldfish are supposed to be social and I do think that Big is feeling
ostracized and lonely. He faces the wall most of the time like a bad
kid sent to sit in the corner of the classroom.
So here comes the rest of my ignorance. Would the smaller fry have been
scared by the larger one that they did not eat and became weak and
would this somehow have created the swim bladder problem - due to not
eating or staying on the surface?
<Not likely an issue period>
I know it says to reintroduce them to each other when the smaller
ones catch up - however it seems to me that they are so much smaller
that they are not going to be the same size. If I put them back
together how will they fare? I guess also did they just have a swim
bladder problem? Or a combination of dominance and swim bladder..
Thanks for your assistance! Rhonda
<... Again, not likely goldfish young... but some other
"contaminant"...
Goldfish won't live, be large enough in a ten gallon to
reproduce...
Dominance amongst young fishes when very small? Not likely. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Goldfish fry & dominance or bullying issue
3/15/12
Thanks Bob for your help. Do you know what the odd zipping around on
the surface behaviour was?
<Mmm, could be due to stray electrical potential, water quality,
just normal behavior...>
Just to clarify too that the fry are definitely goldfish as no
other types of fish in the tank,
<Strange though... I'll try to be clear/er here: Potentially
reproductive size goldfish really can't live any time in such a
small (10 gal.) volume.
Perhaps they (whatever they are) "came in" w/ the
goldfish>
nor was anything added or moved from anywhere that could have
introduced eggs. It is really confusing when the aquarium stores and
much online information seems so contradictory all of the time.
<... the Net is a mix of useful to not input. WWM is more
consistent, accurate>
I am going to take the divider down so that the 3 fry are together and
will try to address the water softener issue. I believe that all of my
indoor taps are softened and I live in Northern Canada so my outdoor
taps which are not softened water cannot be turned on in the winter
without a plumbing rupture in the line. Any other suggestions on
this?
<Haul someone else's water for use here. Read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/GldfshH2OF.htm
and the linked files above; or just search on WWM re soft/ened water
use>
Do I re-treat the water somehow? I am not sure if these fry are
comets or commons
- as we had 2 adults of each in the 90 gallon tank. I know that they
cannot stay in the 10 gallon tank as they mature - how long can they
stay in 10 gallon tank - the largest including tail is about half an
inch long the other 2 are smaller.
<Keep reading>
We are trying to figure out what to do with dividing the fish up - in
the 90 gallon tank we have two fish right now - Tuna we think is a
fantail - and Waggles a calico fantail or veiltail - I find the online
photos hard to determine. If these 3 fry are commons or particularly
comets they are best not to go in with the fancy goldfish? My boyfriend
wanted to buy two Bristol Shubunkins as he liked the way they look and
put them in with the fancy goldfish. I read on your site that
Shubunkins body type is considered to be like a comet and that they are
boisterous and not good with the fancy goldfish - but I also saw other
information that said they are fine together. Could there be a
difference between the more common London variety vs. the Bristol in
terms of its compatibility?
<Not likely; though fancier varieties of goldfish may not be able to
compete>
Maybe a better alternative is to put in the 90 gallon tank 2 Bristol
Shubunkins, and these 3 goldfish fry - which are either commons or
comets -
when these fry are large enough of course. Then I could move the two
fancy fish to a 2O gallon tank and keep the 10 gallon tank as an
emergency tank.
Thanks for your help. Rhonda
<Welcome. BobF>

Goldfish might be egg bound
8/28/11
Hi WWM crew, I would like to extend a big thank you for the work you
do. I have learned so much from your site since discovering it early
this summer.
<Ah, good>
I have found answers to most of my fish questions just from browsing
the site. This time I'm not as clear on what is happening to my
goldfish.
So starting out I have three goldfish, two (fan tails sold as Ryukins,
but lacking full shape) are showing breeding stars and chasing the
Oranda.
This chasing has gone on quite a bit over the last month.
<I hope you...>
She seems bent as if they bullied her into the wall too roughly.
<... separated the female>
She has a visible opening at her vent where the eggs seemed trapped. I
would like advise on whether she should be isolated
<Should have been, and should be now>
or should they be allowed to help her along. I have read stories of
stripping the eggs, but I do not want to hurt her. If there are any
steps I can take to aid her please let me know.
-Amanda
<Better for now to (time gone by) to allow the eggs either to pass
or be resorbed. Please read Neale's pc. here re the use of
Epsom:http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/SaltUseFWArtNeale.htm
and the related linked FAQs file above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish might be egg bound 8/29/11
Thank you for your quick response, I'm moving her into a ten gallon
quarantine. I'll be adding a spoon of Epsom salt, and will keep you
posted on her status. Thank you so much!
<Welcome! Do monitor (daily) water quality (ammonia, nitrite...) and
have water ready (from the main tank is best) for change outs.
BobF>Re: Goldfish might be egg bound
8/29/11
I am happy to report improved behavior from the Oranda.
<Hurrah!>
She is much more active and is no longer hiding in the corner. I am
also considering one reasons for her discomfort may have been
constipation.
Seeing that she has become a living Play Doh factory(I remember using
flakes and granules earlier this summer when I first brought her home)
she is now on mashed pea and veggie diet, and has been for a while. She
is still slightly bent, but has improved so I am hopeful she may
completely recover. I would also like to know how long she should
remain in the Epsom bath?
<If not too concentrated, for weeks>
Thank you for your help.
<Certainly welcome. BobF>

Help please! beh., repro. --
06/26/11
Hello W.W.M crew. Well to cut to the chase, I am the proud owner of
two goldfish both roughly three years old. One is
a comet (gender unknown) called Jaws, the other is
male Lionhead cross (I think) and he has like a white
pimple on the top of his head not on his gill coverings.
<These do occur from time to time, and can be readily distinguished
from spawning tubercles because those tubercles occur in matched pairs
on either side of the head. A single pimple is exactly what it appears
to be, and should be treated primarily by optimising water quality but
also by using an anti-Finrot medication to kill off any external
bacteria.>
Over in NZ it is winter and isn't goldfish breeding season in
summer/spring?
<Correct, they get frisky when the water gets warm.>
because I have been researching goldfish breeding and it said that they
"chase" each other and well they have been doing that ever
since I bought Rocky.
<They also chase when being aggressive. Goldfish are social, and in
small groups, i.e., less than, say, three specimens, it's possible
for a dominant male to be aggressive towards a second male or a female
kept with him. In bigger groups this hierarchical behaviour is more
spread out, so no one fish gets bullied all the time.>
Anyway they have never previously bred before and I'm not even sure
the gender of my comet and a breeder told me they might breed so my
questions are... 1. How can I sex my comet?
<Sexing Goldfish outside of spawning time is hard, as the key
features are the spawning tubercles on the head of the males. But as is
often the case with Cyprinid fishes, males tend to be more aggressive,
and females tend to be plumper around the abdomen, particularly as
spawning season approaches.>
2. If my comet was female would they successfully breed?
<In aquaria it's actually very difficult to breed Goldfish. When
spawning Goldfish swim very rapidly around the pond or canal they
inhabit, and they lay their eggs among floating plants. While it can be
done in an aquarium, it is very difficult. You need a few pots of
feathery plants (for example Elodea, Cabomba or Myriophyllum), a
sufficiently large tank (50+ gallons), and a heater to keep the
temperature at a steady 18 C. Pairs are introduced to this spawning
tank, ideally with a tank divider initially (egg-crate is ideal) so
that the female can be fattened up and the male can watch her
longingly! Small live foods such as daphnia and bloodworms, or their
wet-frozen equivalents, are extremely useful "conditioning"
foods that mimic the abundance of prey available in springtime. Usually
breeders take out 20-25% of the water, replace with cool water to mimic
rainfall, remove the divider (if used), and then hope for the best!
Eggs are scattered among the plants, and then the adults must be
removed. The fry are not difficult to rear, but they are small, and
will need 4-5 meals per day of things like liquid fry food and brine
shrimp nauplii.>
3.If they aren't breeding what is the white pimple on Rocky's
head?
<See above.>
4. If my comet is female how could I increase breeding success?, e.g.
hand breeding or other methods?
<Do try and get a copy of a book like 'Fish Breeding' by
Chris Andrew, a cheap and easy to follow guide to breeding Goldfish and
lots of other pet fish species. Second-hand copies can be picked up for
pennies.>
Thank you
Sincerely Eden 14 NZ
<Good luck, Neale.>

Can You Breed Goldfish In One Tank?
11/18/09
My tank setup currently is as follows:
gallons- 50 gal.
dimensions- 18"wx18"Hx36"L
Freshwater
hard water (high mineral content)
ph 7.5 to 8
2 40 gal. in tank filters
2 4" sintered airstones
1 bubble wand
several fake plants
no gravel or real plants (for easier cleaning)
no added salt
chemicals used in water changes- ammonia, chlorine, chloramines,
nitrate, nitrate, heavy metal remover (Amquel + and Stresscoat,
sometimes Prime brands used), and a phosphate reducing bio extract
(AquaSafe brand). I used mixed amounts of these chemicals. Usually
splitting the dosage to 25 gal.
rather than treatment for a full 50 gall on each chemical. I do this to
reduce stress on the fish and avoid putting too much of a chemical in
the tank). I do this when I use more than 1 chemical at a time. When I
use only 1 chemical at a time, I use the normal recommended dosage.
Except for the bio extract. That does not do the same thing as Amquel,
Stresscoat, or Prime. So I just use 1 ml per galloon during water
changes with the bio extract. This usually amounts to no more than 6 to
8 ml. during water changes. Not a lot compared to what Amquel (25 ml to
50 ml.), Stresscoat+ (25 to 50 ml.), and Prime (5 ml per 50 gal. or 2.5
ml for 25 gal.) recommend for the tank size I have (except the Prime,
which I tend to use by itself). So chemical interaction should not be
an issue with my tank.
current # of fish in tank- 3 adult goldfish all roughly 1 yr. old (1
male American common fantail, 1 female American common fantail, 1
Ryukin female (she is the largest of my fish)).
future fish I would like to add to the tank- 1 adult male common
American fantail (I have him currently in a 10 gal. tank by himself)
and maybe 1 goldfish I bred and raised.
food- Spirulina flakes, goldfish flakes, occasional peas, free dried
bloodworms, free dried green or brown seaweed, and freeze dried brine
shrimp. Occasional vitamin c supplement and garlic guard. Maybe fresh,
whole orange pieces (no skin or bitter white stuff attached) or
blanched lettuce once in a while.
<All sounds fine.>
My question:
If I have 3 to 4 adults in a 50 gal. tank (two common American fantail
males, 1 American fantail female, and 1 Ryukin female) can I breed and
raise fry in the same tank as the adults? Can I use a tank divider to
breed the adults and raise the fry, while keeping the fry separate from
the adults until they are old enough to be placed with the adults? How
many goldfish can live comfortably in my 50 gal. tank? Is 5 too many to
keep in a 50 gal. tank?
<No, you should be okay with that. Depends on the varieties of
course, and Standards, Comets and Shubunkins do need as much space as
you can give them, since they get big and like to swim around a lot.
But Fancy varieties are smaller (to 20 cm/8 inches) and don't move
about so much. Five in 50 gallons should be fine, provided you have a
good, strong filter.>
Also did you know they do not recommend keeping platys and goldfish
together in the same tank because of the goldfish's tendency to
produce large amounts of Ammonia?
<This isn't true. Goldfish produce no more ammonia than any
other cyprinid of similar size like, say, a Tinfoil Barb.>
Thus this could wind up killing the platys.
<Yes, Platies are sensitive to ammonia, perhaps more so than
Goldfish.>
Just an interesting little tidbit of information I thought perhaps you
would find useful.
<It's not really true though. Provided the aquarium has adequate
filtration, you can keep Goldfish perfectly well with subtropical fish
such as Platies and Peppered Corydoras (assuming of course you're
providing a comfortable water temperature for all the fish being kept).
But most people who keep Goldfish don't provide adequate
filtration, which is one reason so many Goldfish get sick and die
prematurely. Since Goldfish are a bit tougher than Platies, Platies
will succumb to poor water conditions before the Goldfish.>
I found this out the hard way. I lost many platys and one goldfish
before I learned what I had done wrong. Poor fish. This rule also seems
to apply for swordtails, guppies, and other small tropical fish.
<It's honestly not a rule.>
I have no idea about larger tropicals and goldfish. But that is because
I do not want large tropicals. (Though some species can be quite
beautiful).
For instance, I heard rumors that cichlids and goldfish can be put
together.
<Yes, they can, but again, this assumes all other factors are
equivalent.
Cichlids generally need much warmer water than Goldfish, but there are
some subtropical species like Port Acara that can be kept with Goldfish
in sufficiently large, well maintained tanks. A Goldfish is really not
much different to any other large cyprinid like a Tinfoil Barb. It
isn't any more messy than any other herbivorous fish of the same
size, such as a Plec, and perhaps rather less so than equivalently
sized carnivorous fish like Oscars.>
Yet I have no desire to try this theory out. The only fish over 2 or 3
in.
I want are my goldfish. And cichlids get quite large.
<Not all of them. There are many very small cichlids, including some
small enough to live in snail shells.>
Anyway, thank you for your time and answers. They are most
appreciated.
<Glad to help. Cheers, Neale.>

Weird Microscopic Creatures In My Tank
10/27/09
I have found some odd looking creatures in a small, 3 gallon tank I
have been using lately. I have been trying to hatch goldfish eggs in
this small tank with no success. 3 times so far. I have a sponge
bubbler in the 3 gallon tank. The bubbler seems to work in the tank.
But I have not seen the goldfish fry.
<You will need more than three gallons, to be honest. Fish eggs are
very sensitive to poor water quality. What happens is that still water
and a build up of organic material promotes the growth of fungi and
bacteria.
These in turn go on to eat the eggs, and up to the point where the fry
become actively swimming, the fry can be infected too. I use an 8
gallon tank for rearing eggs, and even that tank can sometimes get
dirty so fast eggs become fungused.>
Yet they are very tiny I hear (about the width of a human eyelash I
heard one site say).
<That's a bit of an overstatement. Goldfish fry are smaller
than, say, a newborn guppy, but comparable to newly hatched Corydoras
or Danios.>
So about two or three days after the eggs have been laid I have tried
to put very finely ground foods and live brine shrimp eggs in for the
fry.
<Almost never a good idea to add food before you see fry swimming
about.
Firstly, the newly hatched fry won't be eating for the first two
days.
During that period you will see them sitting on the bottom flicking
their tails but otherwise not moving much. They are using up their yolk
sac.
Adding food will only be a waste, and potentially ruins water quality
at this key stage.>
Included in the powdered foods are ground up bloodworms and regular
goldfish flakes ground up fine and Spirulina.
<Likely too coarse for newborn Goldfish, which really do need
infusoria ("green water") and/or liquid fry foods. It'll
take a week or so after their first meals before they can tackle finely
powdered flake and brine shrimp nauplii.>
I also include liquid food and a little artificial rotifer, which I was
told is good for baby fish and brine shrimp. After about a day or two I
still do not see any goldfish fry, but I do see transparent creatures
hanging around the bottom of the tank. They are translucent gray to
completely clear in color. They have two large dots for eyes that are
usually red, but have also been black. Then they will develop long
bodies with eyes placed on their heads like those of a hammer head
shark.
<Could possibly be goldfish fry. Very young fish are usually
obviously different from the most likely other things that might be in
the tank: nematodes, flatworms, or copepods.>
It also appears some of the creatures have heads similar to those found
on a mature adult dragonfly.
<Juvenile dragonflies and juvenile damselflies (these latter smaller
and have three "tails") are common in aquaria sometimes,
usually coming in with plants or live food. They can, will eat fish
fry. They are obviously insects though, i.e., they have compound eyes
and six legs.>
There is no salt in this freshwater tank system. But our water does
have a high natural mineral content. My question is are these odd
creatures brine shrimp nauplii?
<Unlikely.>
Or could they be bloodworm larva regenerating? Can bloodworm larva
pieces and fragments do that if they are not cleaned up?
<No.>
Could they also be flatworms?
<Potentially, yes; these look like flat slivers that slide along the
glass and over gravel. Often brown or pink; may have two eyespots at
the front end.>
And do brine shrimp (at any stage in life), bloodworm larva, and
flatworms eat small things like recently hatched goldfish fry?
<No, no, and yes.>
Below I have tried to include a rough outline of some of the critters I
have found in my tank. What do you think they are? And would they eat
the tiny goldfish fry and eggs?

| | |
/ \

1. . . 2. . . 3. (' ') 5. ( ( ) ) 6. /\/\
| \/ | |
|
# 5 is the creature with the bug head I mentioned, #2 is the one with
the shark head I mentioned (though in this outline it does not show the
classic T shape this creature usually shows, though it does sometimes
show the shown v-shape too). None of them appeared to have an outer
shell like a fish louse would have. So I do not think they are fish
lice (though I could be wrong). Sorry I could not provide a proper
picture, as I threw out the water in the 3 gallon tank already (all 3
times).
<Sorry, these diagrams don't mean anything to me.>
I would just really like to know what these creatures are, so I can
identify them better in the future.
<Do look out for an excellent little book called "Fish
Breeding" by Chris Andrews; it's easy to buy online, often
inexpensively, and well worth having. It includes details on breeding
Goldfish as well as numerous other freshwater species.>
I hope these rough outlines and the descriptions above help. Thank you
for your time.
<Cheers, Neale.>

Asexual reproduction in comets --
10/22/09
I have a tub garden 2x2x2 with a variety of plants and one comet. I
have had it for 4 years, the water remains very clear (the top two
inches freezes in the winter) and the comet appears very healthy (dark
orange gold). I do not give supplemental food, just the plants and
bugs. The top freezes in the winter. Yesterday I was adding water and
saw two small comets??? How could this be? The original is solid gold.
One little one is gold with a white spot on its underside coming up the
sides and the other is pale golden tan with black fins.
Thank you,
Kim
<Hello Kim. Goldfish are not parthenogenic, and so wherever the new
fish came from, it wasn't from a *single* Goldfish. There are three
explanations. The first is someone added some more fish, deliberately
(i.e., as a "surprise") or accidentally (e.g., some
fertilised eggs alongside a new aquatic plant). The second is that
there was more than one Goldfish in there all along. Finally,
there's the idea often mentioned of fish eggs get transported from
pond to pond on ducks' feet. Whether this actually happens is up
for debate, but it's often suggested. Hope this helps,
Neale.>

Re: Asexual reproduction in comets --
10/22/09
You answered it, I also have a pond with comets and they reproduced. I
move plants from the tub to the pond and from the pond to the tub. I
did that this spring, must have transported fertilized eggs on a
plant.
Thank you
<Glad to be of help. Cheers, Neale.>

What kind of Goldfish? Crosses
8/8/09
I bought 2 dozen 1 inch "feeders" several months ago to stock
my economy 125 gallon preformed Lowe's garden pond. A month ago I
tired of cleaning it out and changing the water every few days so I dug
a larger 350 gallon pond closer to the house and used a liner. I moved
all of the "feeders" plus I bought 4 itty bitty Shubunkins
and the larger ones that were on sale for $1.99 ea. Last week I was
told that to 30 or so fish in
my 350 gallon pond were overcrowded and I needed to cut the population
in half.
<Mmm, not for a few years, really>
The water does get ugly pretty fast despite the 40 Large Trap Door
Snails, the Water Lettuce and the other plants I have added. The $100
dollar filter in the bottom of the pond doesn't seem to help that
much either.
<There are a few things one might do here... Read:
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pndfiltrovr.htm
and the linked files above>
I don't know if I feed to much or what (twice a day) at any rate I
have started culling and have pulled these out and put them in a 20
gallon tank till I can find them a home. My question is, what are
they?
<Goldfish... akin to domestic dogs, all goldfish are the same
species (actually dihybrid cross)... and mix genetically... these are
comet X Shubunkins>
1 of them looks like it might be a common but I'm not sure about
anything, Do Comets have tails this big and a couple of them have
little bumps on their faces, what's that?
<Yes and likely prenuptial tubercles... see WWM re>
Any info would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks.
Phil
<Enjoy the learning. Bob Fenner>

Bubble eyed goldfish having babies?
8/6/09
I've read several of your articles and have not found an answer to
our strange situation. We've had our bubble eyed goldfish (I'm
assuming this is the correct name) for several months. Several
different types of fish accompany it in our 55 gal. tank.
<What other kinds of fish?>
Around July 10th, we noticed a new goldfish...looks like a baby. 2 days
ago we noticed another little baby goldfish...they both look exactly
like their "momma". Since this was the only goldfish in the
tank, what did she breed with and should we be expect more at any given
time? And I don't see any eggs...I read that they only lay eggs and
don't have live birth...so I'm really curious what's
happening here! Thank you so much for your time!
~T~
<Doubt these are baby Goldfish. For a start, no, Goldfish aren't
livebearers. And no, they don't often lay eggs in aquaria for
reasons we don't need to go into here. But if the other fish are,
for example, Platies, Guppies, or Swordtails, then those might have
produce some baby fish, and that's what you're seeing. Cheers,
Neale.>

Determining the sex of Red Oranda Goldfish
11/19/08 Good Evening, We bought a goldfish about three months
ago for our son for his birthday, and got one of those starter kits
that were suggested at the pet store. It is of 2.65 gallons (it is
cleaned every day with 25% water change with the vacuuming of the
gravel) and after going through yours and similar websites realized
that it was a wrong decision (our stupidity didn't do research
before jumping in head first), and now getting a bigger tank of about
29 gallons and were thinking of adding one more goldfish to the tank.
<Well done! A 29-gallon tank will be just right for two or three
happy, healthy Goldfish!> Would like to know how to determine the
sex of the goldfish? Is it even possible to determine it? He/she is
about two inches long and is a Red Cap Oranda. Earlier when we got her
he/she passed out poo that was transparent and stringy and covered with
the bubbles, on different websites it was stated that can be a sign of
eggs being absorbed in the female goldfish body. Is that correct, then
our goldfish is a female. <You can't sex Goldfish when
they're young. Once mature (i.e., upwards of 15 cm/6 inches in
length) males have distinctive tubercles on the head. They come and go
depending on whether the male is in the breeding season. So usually you
see them in spring. Anyway, they look like white spots on the face, but
unlike a disease, the spots on the left and right side of the face
match. Apart from this feature, Goldfish are essentially unsexable.>
Of all the websites your is one of the most informative. I didn't
find the answer to my questions by doing the search I am sitting here
and reading your websites since morning. I am sorry if you had to
answer this question again. Thank you very much and you have an amazing
website. Do read this article:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm Usually when
Goldfish have odd-looking faeces, it's because of a lack of fibre
in the diet. You see, the worst diet for a goldfish is flake and
pellets, day-in, day-out. Much better is a diet with lots of green
foods or cheap aquarium plants!> Regards, Midhat <Glad to help,
and thanks for the kind words. Cheers, Neale.>

Goldfish reproduction 9/29/08
We were given fish some months ago for our very large garden pond and a
white one was obviously heavily 'pregnant'. She has become huge
now and quite lop sided. Is this normal and how long before she
deposits her eggs. Also could she become 'egg bound' and if so
what should we do.
Many thanks
Roberta
<Hello Roberta. Goldfish can become swollen for all kinds of reasons
besides being "ripe" with eggs. Indeed, if these fish are
outdoors and it isn't springtime, it's unlikely these fish are
preparing to spawn. For the most part, Goldfish breed in ponds without
any effort on the part of the aquarist. The males will become rowdy and
develop white "spots" on their heads called breeding
tubercles. They will chase the females about, the then eggs will be
laid in the plants. The eggs and eventually the fry develop naturally,
and at least some will survive. If it isn't springtime in your part
of the world and you have one fish looking distinctly swollen, do
consider the other factors. In particular, review diet. Surprisingly to
some, Goldfish Food is about the worst thing to give Goldfish in the
long term.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/gldfshmalnut.htm
In ponds, a combination of algae and aquatic plants is really all you
need provide them, and only occasionally supplement these with high
protein foods. Goldfish are herbivores, so giving them the same
protein-based foods as give carnivorous tropical fish is akin to giving
dog food to a sheep. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Goldfish reproduction 9/29/08
Thank you so much for your prompt and informative reply.
Do you think we should take the fish from the pond and have her
'looked at'?
Roberta
<Hello again. If you're suggesting that you have your fish
examined by a vet, then that's never a bad idea. But do telephone
your vet first: not all are experienced with fish. Aquarium shops will
sometimes look over fish for you, but the quality of any advice you get
will vary somewhat, to say the least! In any case, I'd start off by
assuming diet is the issue, and act as described in the "Floaty,
Bloaty Goldfish" article I linked in my last e-mail. Epsom Salt
(magnesium sulphate) costs next to nothing to buy from a chemist
(drugstore). Maybe a couple of quid for a kilo. Review diet as well. If
these things don't help, then have the fish "looked at"!
Cheers, Neale.>

problem with fantail fry -
05/31/08 hi all anyone help fry are 6 weeks old feeding them
Liquifry 2 and baby brine shrimp had no problem till now starting to
die with what looks like white stringy fungus? coming from gills. can
anyone help please before they all die thanks Sean <Hello Sean. If
it looks like fungus, chances are it *is* fungus. Fish fry are very
prone to fungal and bacterial infections if the water or substrate
aren't perfectly clean. Many fish breeders keep their tanks
minimally decorated to ensure they're easy to clean, and use
anti-fungal medications such as eSHa 2000 even before they see signs of
ill health. And no, fish medications shouldn't harm the fry.
It's also important to do regular, large water changes: liquid fry
foods and brine shrimp nauplii will quickly pollute the aquarium
otherwise. While you may have zero nitrite, the fact is that the
background decay allows bacteria and fungi to thrive, and it's this
that causes problems for the fry. One last thing. Please remember to
type your message out with capital letters in the right places next
time. It's one of the few things we expect from our correspondents.
Cheers, Neale.>

Is it possibly that my fish
could breed with themselves? 5/10/08 They are 2 Calico
Fantails one is white coloring and one if dark coloring turning orange
so can they mate themselves? Thanks, Jesse <Obviously they can't
mate with "themselves" any more than any other fish can
fertilize itself. But if you're asking can two Calico Fantails
breed, then potentially yes. Very unlikely in an aquarium though.
Goldfish breeding needs to be done in a pond, typically with several
males and females kept together because their spawning behaviour at
least is primarily group rather than pair based. Cheers,
Neale.>

The Tubercule
5/10/08 Hi I just want to know what the tubercule looks like
or I can give a picture if I can take one that is good enough so I want
to know what the tubercule looks like and thank you for helping. <If
your ADULT male Goldfish are in sexual condition, you can't miss
them! They look like Ick/Whitespot on the face. Easy as that. If you
can't see them, then your fish either isn't a male, isn't
sexually mature, or isn't in breeding condition. Cheers,
Neale.>

Calico Fantail Reproduction
05/07/08 How long does it take for a Calico Fantail to
reproduce with itself? and how long till the eggs hatch? <Depends on
the water temperature. Goldfish are very difficult to breed in indoor
aquaria (read: don't bother). In ponds, you basically leave them to
it, and by the end of summer you'll have some baby goldfish. For
more, see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/gldfshreprofaqs.htm Cheers,
Neale.>

Calico Fantail Gender 05/07/08 How do I
find the tubercule and what does it look like? <Aren't we doing
"please" or "thank you" today? In any case, if you
can't see the tubercles on your Goldfish, they either aren't
sexually mature or aren't males. They're very obvious on
sexually mature male fish. Look a bit like white spots, but
symmetrically distributed across the face. Cheers,
Neale.>

Do goldfish need less food when they are
older than 1 year? -05/07/08 Dear WWMC, You have a very
informative site - thanks for all the effort that evidently goes
into it. It's great to see such a wealth of experience about
goldfish in particular. <Thanks for the kind words.> I have
a query that I did not find an answer to on the site (though I
did find a lot of interesting information): how do goldfish
nutritional requirements change with age? <Doesn't change
dramatically, though yes, bigger fish eat less food relative to
their body size than smaller fish. This is in fact true across
the animal kingdom. While elephants eat a lot, in terms of
percentage of body weight, that food is much much less than what
a mouse eats.> I have 3 fantail goldfish in a 30 gallon tank,
along with a couple of Siamese algae eaters and some white cloud
minnows. Everyone is peaceful and I never see the goldfish
chasing the others, though they are now much larger. The tank is
heavily planted, mainly with fast-growing, low-light things.
<Hope this tank is warmed somehow: Siamese Algae Eaters
(Crossocheilus siamensis) is a tropical fish and needs water at
24-26 C, slightly more than Goldfish like. Not a combination
I'd have recommended, though viable.> The goldfish came to
me when they were about 1 inch long, about 10 months ago. Two are
now 3-4 inches and the third is more like 2-3 inches. The
smallest seems to have a deformity in his mouth that stops him
from opening it fully, so I think he gets less food than the
others, but he is active and seems cheerful, so I leave him be,
because I don't think there is anything I can do about his
mouth anyway. <Mouth deformities are common in Goldfish, and
as you say, they seem to manage.> My goldies get Hikari
goldfish pellets and a variety of flake foods (different brands),
they get some of the smaller pellets I put in for the white
clouds (a community pellet mix), and they also have raw lettuce,
duckweed, azolla (these they will eat until it's all gone)
and the live plants in the tank. They love hygro, ambulia and
similar plants, but they also seem to eat pretty much anything,
including anubias, java fern, crypts and other things they are
not supposed to like much. One thing they are surprisingly not so
keen on is elodea, so lots of that is growing in my tank at the
moment. <Perhaps less tasty than the rest of the (excellent)
salad bar you're offering them.> I've also fed them
sinking algae pellets from time to time, but not often recently,
as I think they are getting enough. <Probably enjoyed by the
Crossocheilus siamensis.> I have so far always fed my goldfish
plenty, up to three times a day. This partly because it amuses
them (and me) and partly because I hope that by keeping them well
fed they will wreak less destruction on the plants. In the past
when they have gotten hungry they have destroyed many plants, so
I try to avoid that because I want the plants to keep growing
well to beautify the tank and improve the water quality.
<Provided there are plants in the tanks, your fish won't
go hungry. So perhaps the way to work things is to establish the
minimum amount of flake/pellet food needed such that your plants
are basically left alone.> Lately, however, I have had trouble
controlling the nitrate levels in the water (my target is less
than 20ppm, but I have trouble keeping it there). I have been
experimenting with feeding the tank less often or less food at a
feed. Yesterday I even went an evening without feeding them. To
my surprise this morning, there was no great plant destruction.
They must have been hungrier than usual, but they hadn't then
uprooted everything in sight. This is really unusual, and rather
a nice surprise for me, actually. <Temperature is a critical
issue I suspect: in warm water, Goldfish metabolism rises, and
they become much hungrier. If the tank was allowed to stay cool,
around 15-18 C, you couldn't keep the Crossocheilus siamensis
of course, but the other fish would be fine and would eat much
less food.> Could it be that my goldies are entering a phase
where they need less food or are less driven by hunger to
explore/destroy everything in the tank? They can't be at
their maximum size yet, surely - they have good water quality,
good nutrition and an interesting tank, so I expected the larger
two to reach 6 inches at least before they stop growing. I am
wondering whether maybe the first year or so is a time when
goldfish do eat more and get hungrier when they aren't
eating. If so, maybe I can look forward to being able to put more
interesting plants in the tank and have them survive long enough
to get rooted in and start to thrive - that would be nice :) Much
as I like elodea, I don't really want the whole tank full of
only that. <Goldfish growth rate *is* fastest when they are
small, but it otherwise carries on regardless of age, so that the
older the Goldfish, the bigger it is. Temperature and diet both
feed into this though.> So, can you please tell me, how do
goldfish nutritional requirements change in their first couple of
years or with their first few inches? (Or maybe the right
question is how does goldfish plant destroying change in their
first couple of years?) <Essentially this: give them easier
alternatives to the live plants. Try Sushi Nori for example, or
blanched curly lettuce and see what happens.> Thanks very
much, Helen <Good luck, Neale.>

Re: Do goldfish need less food when they
are older than 1 year? 05/08/08 Dear Neale, or whoever
is reading this one. Thank you very much for your useful
information and sensible suggestions. <You're welcome.>
Just to remove your worry on a point: I live in a relatively warm
climate (Melbourne, Australia) and the tank is heated by the
lights and the surrounding air. I only added the crossocheilus
siamensis when I realized that the temperature never drops below
about 23.5 and is usually slightly higher than that. I have a
heater in there, just in case, but I doubt it ever turns on,
except possibly in the dead of night in winter. <Ok.> My
problem is much more how to keep the tank cool in summer. I start
to worry when the water gets near 29 or 30 degrees (this when the
outside temperature is 38 or more and we can't keep our
unairconditioned flat cooler than about 30), but actually the
goldfish seemed fine this summer, despite my worry. I use all the
tricks I know: loads of aeration, moving the cover so there is
airflow over the top of the water, keeping the lighting period to
a minimum and to the cooler times of the day and, when I'm
desperate, putting frozen bottles of water into the tank. They
survived their first summer just fine, so I'll be less
worried next year. <One old trick is to freeze a couple of
litre-sized ice cream cartons (or similar) filled with water.
Place in the aquarium when it gets very hot. But at some point, a
chiller becomes more cost effective. A low-tech solution is an
old "mini bar" fridge. Drill a couple of holes in it,
and then buy a few metres of aquarium hose. Wind the hose a few
times in the fridge, and then place the ends so they poke out the
two holes. Connect the hose to the outlet from the canister
filter, so that the water is pushed through the coils of hose. In
theory, this system can knock a few degrees off the heat. Perhaps
not as good as a real chiller, but cheap and cheerful.>
Anyway, thanks again for your excellent work! Helen <Good
luck, Neale.>

Re: Do goldfish need less food when they
are older than 1 year? 05/08/08 Dear Neale, or whoever
is reading this one. Thank you very much for your useful
information and sensible suggestions. <You're welcome.>
Just to remove your worry on a point: I live in a relatively warm
climate (Melbourne, Australia) and the tank is heated by the
lights and the surrounding air. I only added the crossocheilus
siamensis when I realized that the temperature never drops below
about 23.5 and is usually slightly higher than that. I have a
heater in there, just in case, but I doubt it ever turns on,
except possibly in the dead of night in winter. <Ok.> My
problem is much more how to keep the tank cool in summer. I start
to worry when the water gets near 29 or 30 degrees (this when the
outside temperature is 38 or more and we can't keep our
unairconditioned flat cooler than about 30), but actually the
goldfish seemed fine this summer, despite my worry. I use all the
tricks I know: loads of aeration, moving the cover so there is
airflow over the top of the water, keeping the lighting period to
a minimum and to the cooler times of the day and, when I'm
desperate, putting frozen bottles of water into the tank. They
survived their first summer just fine, so I'll be less
worried next year. <One old trick is to freeze a couple of
litre-sized ice cream cartons (or similar) filled with water.
Place in the aquarium when it gets very hot. But at some point, a
chiller becomes more cost effective. A low-tech solution is an
old "mini bar" fridge. Drill a couple of holes in it,
and then buy a few metres of aquarium hose. Wind the hose a few
times in the fridge, and then place the ends so they poke out the
two holes. Connect the hose to the outlet from the canister
filter, so that the water is pushed through the coils of hose. In
theory, this system can knock a few degrees off the heat. Perhaps
not as good as a real chiller, but cheap and cheerful.>
Anyway, thanks again for your excellent work! Helen <Good
luck, Neale.>

Is my Shubunkin Goldfish
Pregnant? 01/13/2008 Hello. I have a 100 gallon
tank with 3 goldfish and an algae eater in it. 2 regular Goldfish and a
Shubunkin Goldfish. It is January but has been warm here in Arkansas.
And I have learned from reading on your site that goldfish spawn in
spring. But, I have recently notice that my Shubunkin's sides are
bulging. So is it possible that this fish might be carrying eggs?
<Possible but unlikely in aquaria.> I really know very little
about fish and the breeding process. So, I am hoping that you can help
me with this. If it is possible that this is a female carrying eggs
what do I do. How do I care for a pregnant goldfish? <Goldfish
don't get pregnant, they lay eggs. Spawning is relatively uncommon
in aquaria, though possible.> The two regular goldfish chase each
other around the tank. They do not bother the Shubunkin. <Hmm...
sexually mature (and active) males display characteristic white
tubercles on their heads. They WILL chase "ripe" females, and
eventually the fish spawn among plants. But if your "fat"
Shubunkin is being ignored, that would suggest against her being in
breeding condition.> The Shubunkin (the one I think might be
carrying eggs) stays to itself. It hides and stays in the corners of
the tank until feeding time. Then it comes to the top of the tank to
eat but returns to hide after. It seems to be bulging larger on one
side than the other, as well. - Thanks for your time and effort in this
matter. Brandy Kidd <Most likely constipation; exceeding common with
Goldfish because people believe -- wrongly -- they do best fed Goldfish
food. Seems crazy, but in fact Goldfish food isn't all that good
for them, at least not day in, day out. Just like humans, they need
their greens! Do read this excellent article on feeding Goldfish. Try
feeding greens-only for a couple weeks, and see what happens.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm Cheers,
Neale.>

Re: Goldfish behavior...please help. Repro. 1/6/2008 Hi Neale, Thanks for answering so soon. <Not a
problem.> Well, my redcap did laid eggs yesterday, and I could see
de tubercles from the male fantail. <Hurrah!> I separated the
eggs from their parents, and put oxygen in the other tank, but my
question is... do I really need to oxygenate the eggs? <Yes; eggs
rely on passive diffusion of oxygen since they don't pump water
through "gills". If Muhammad can't go to the mountain...
Also, the water movement is important as well, otherwise you'll get
fungus.> or is it ok with the surface oxygen? and the other one is,
at what temperature do I need to have the eggs? <A middling,
subtropical temperature is what you're after. 15-20 C will do
fine.> By the way I've put some drops of Methylene blue to
prevent the unfertilized eggs getting fungus. <Good.> If you have
some other tips for the care of the eggs and fry, I would thank you.
Thanks. <Start planning on the food NOW! You want to have the things
you'll need to hand for when the eggs hatch and the fry become free
swimming. Do remember baby fish need to eat often but in small amounts,
and water changes are critical during the early stages. 4-6 meals per
day, but with water changes of 25% (at least) every day or two is what
you're after. Don't keep the eggs in deep water: the baby fish
will need to swim to the top to gulp their first air to pump up the
swim bladder. So if the water is too deep, they'll not manage this.
10 cm depth is ample. After a few weeks you can gradually raise the
water depth. Keep plenty of floating plants in the tank; the fry will
seek shade there and will also feed on the algae and infusoria found
among the leaves. Cheers, Neale.>

Goldfish behavior...please help 1/5/08
Hi there! <Hello,> I'm not quite a fish brainer, but I've
read a little bit about fish and their breeding, specially mine.
<Very good.> I have a 42 gallon tank and I have a red cap and an
orange fantail. Today my orange fantail began chasing all around the
tank my redcap and I supposed well, it's a common behavior and then
I looked for the male tubercles but I couldn't see them. So my
question is, can the tubercles appear later? or are my 2 fish are
males? <The breeding tubercles should be visible on sexually mature
males in breeding condition. If you can't see them, then chances
are your fish are either females or else aren't in breeding
condition.> And, if they lay eggs, when I separate the eggs to
another tank to avoid getting ate, do I have to provide more oxygen or
with the surface oxygen is OK? <You will likely need to remove the
eggs to another tank to prevent them being eaten. It's just not
practical in most cases to leave the eggs with the parents. You can
certainly try putting the eggs in a floating breeding trap to see what
happens before you invest in a 10 or 20 gallon tank just for rearing
fry (which is how experienced breeders rear baby fish). This said,
Goldfish are notoriously difficult to spawn anywhere other than a pond,
where they tend to breed like rabbits. In an aquarium, you need to
provide conditioning foods (bloodworms and mosquito larvae for example)
and then cool down the water for a few weeks (to simulate winter) and
then warm it up again (to simulate spring). Goldfish spawn in the
morning, and the tank should receive some early morning sunlight to
"trigger" spawning.> Thanks. <You're welcome.>
P.S. I don't know exactly how old are my fish cause when I bought
them they where a little big, not too much but they weren't fry.
And now they are quite big about 8 cm o more I'm not sure <May
be a bit small for breeding still. Cheers, Neale.>

Strange offspring... Goldfish? 11/16/07 I
bought 5 fantail fish from Wal-Mart a couple of years ago. They spawned
and the fry are now full grown. Some of the fry have only one tail
(instead of the normal fantail) and one of them is grey, not gold. Are
my original 5 fantails part of some other fish species and those genes
only showed up in these few fry? Or are my new fish just a little
strange? <Are we talking about goldfish here? In any case, it is
absolutely normal for "pet" grade fancy ornamental fish to
NOT be true breeding. Such fish are produced on farms mostly for people
who won't be breeding them. People who want to breed fancy
varieties of fish tend to source fish from other breeders so that they
know they are getting true breeding stock. In your case, the fantail
fish were presumably heterozygous for the fantail condition, with the
fantail gene being dominant over the normal tail gene, so that some
proportion (around 25%, perhaps) of the offspring were homozygous for
the normal tail morphology and the remainder either heterozygous or
homozygous for the fantail condition. Cheers, Neale.>

Male Or Female? Goldfish 11/5/07 I have
here 2 of my goldfish I bought yesterday, can you identify what are
their gender? Thanks! <Mmm, nope... not at this size... There
are some physical differences seasonally in mature goldfishes...
Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshreprofaqs.htm re. Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish fry -- 07/23/07 Hi there,
<Hello.> Thank you for maintaining such a very informative site
and providing us very useful advice. <Cool.> After reading your
discussions about goldfish bladder problem, I changed the diet of my
fish and witnessed the immediate recovery of one of my Orandas after
feeding her some rice (she was at the brink of flipping over). <Very
good.> Anyway, my question is about goldfish fry. My Orandas spawned
last year and we lost a lot of fries in the third week. According to
some Chinese books, goldfish fries die in great numbers when they enter
a period when their abdomen split open exposing their internal
organs--that is why they are so vulnerable in this period-- and their
tails start to fork. <Never heard of this. There's no logical
reason why development of the tail should cause the abdomen to split
open. But it's a fair point that many fancy goldfish have very bad
genes in terms of developmental biology. After all, the
"fancy" aspects of these breeds are really mutations, and
invariably deleterious ones at that. While ordinary goldfish can
establish themselves as feral populations quite easily (they have done
so in Australia, for example) fancy goldfish don't because they are
genetically poor stock. So it might well be that along with the fancy
tails there are some other bad genes that cause problems with other
aspects. If there is, there's nothing you can do about it. All this
said, breeding fancy goldfish clearly isn't that difficult, given
how cheaply its accomplished by fish farmers supplying the ornamental
fish industry.> However, I could not find such information published
in English. <Over here in England, goldfish breeding is almost
always done in ponds where the aquarist has no involvement beyond
keeping the pond healthy. There's not much written about breeding
them in the aquarium. There are also a lot of myths in the aquarium
hobby. Old ones in the Occidental side of things include adding salt to
freshwater tanks and the virtues of "old" water. Perhaps the
splitting open of the abdomen is a myth from Oriental fishkeeping?
It's, what, a 500 year old hobby in China, so certainly plenty of
time to accrue its own myths.> Do you guys know anything about this?
<Sorry, no. I'd treat the whole idea skeptically for now. See
how your batch of fry develop. Other than bad genes, there's
nothing about fish that causes their abdomens to open, so you can't
do much either way what watch and wait. Keep water quality good, of
course, and supply plenty of food. All the usual fish breeding stuff,
really.> Thank you very much, Fred <Cheers, Neale>

Fantails-unusual breeding? 6/9/07
Hello, <Hello.> I have looked through a lot of articles on the
web but I still can't work out if my fish are ill or just weird. I
have three fantails and one black moor that I have had for just a year
now and for the first time they are showing signs of being sexually
interested in each other. <Why not? They're all the same
species... Carassius auratus.> From looking for tubercules on the
fins/gill area I think I have 3 males and 1 female. The suspected
female however has been the one chasing a small male (although at times
they all seem to be chasing each other). <Pretty normal. Goldfish
breeding involves a lot of chasing, and it isn't always the boys
chasing the girls. Rival males may chase one another, and females
perhaps "test" potential mates by chasing them. There
certainly is a certain amount of ritual goldfish go through before they
actually spawn.> As its the large female bothering the male is it
just bullying rather than sexual advances? or do you think I have sexed
them wrongly? <The tubercles are usually a good clue to the male,
but not all males show them...> the small male(?) in question seems
very stressed by it all and in the last couple of days has been sitting
on the bottom of the tank a lot, do you think it is ill? or tired? or,
as I said, just very stressed? <Probably just stressed. How big is
the tank? Four adult goldfish should be in something around the 55
gallon mark to be comfortable. Or else a pond.> It has no signs of
illness other than being a bit sedate and the water quality is good. I
would be grateful for any feedback. Thank you. <Hope this helps,
Neale>

Comets and A red Cap, Mating or aggressive behaviour?
-- 04/16/07 I have a ten gallon with three comets, one calico and
one red cap. <<That tank isn't large enough for one of these
fish. Please read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm,http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm.>>
All of them are roughly 3 inches and very happy. When I came
home today (lights were out) and they were thrashing through the tank
after each other. Mostly after the red cap and then breaking into pairs
chasing each other. Is it mating season? <<It's an
over-stocked tank.>> My red cap seems exhausted, I caught it in
my net and have it floating to give it a break, although the comets are
still chasing each other, they keep coming up to the net and sniffing
around her tail and mid section. Should I get a divider for the tank as
I have no room for another tank (or for that matter more fish). The
kids won the comets at a carnival 2 yrs ago. HELP! <<I'm
sorry, but your tank is just too cramped. Perhaps offer the
fish to a friend with a pond, where your fish will grow to their normal
1-foot plus in length. Lisa Brown.>>

Pregnant Goldfish?? 4/14/07 Hi! I am
totally fish ignorant and happen to have three thanks to my little girl
(two orange headed Orandas and a multi colored one that I don't
know what he's called). My one fantail (the smaller)
started to looked bloated. <How large a system, fish?> I thought
maybe I had overfed them or done something wrong and she was suffering
for my stupidity, however, I woke up one morning and she looked like a
deflated balloon and much more comfortable. I assumed this
meant she had laid eggs, but there were none to be found. (I assumed
eaten) <Mmm, possibly> Now, two weeks later, she's blowing up
again. She doesn't swim upside down and is still active
as usual, although when she is her biggest, she's a bit
awkward. What is happening and what do I
do??? Could they have eaten all the eggs overnight or did
she finally just un-constipate? Thanks for any
help. Dara <Likely by far that this is a recurring food
issue... and hopefully we can correct... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshmalnut.htm and the
linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Pregnant Fish - 02/09/2007 Hello there!
<Mornin'!> Great web site by the way, your questions and
answers are very entertaining. <Thank you... and a bit
educational/instructive I trust> I have two little goldfish in a
small aquarium on my desk. <Mmm, about how many gallons?> The
fish are about an inch long not including fins etc. One gold
fan tail and one black moor. The gold Fantail (Minnie) is
suddenly much larger in the back side than Mickey. <Minnie got
back> It's like she ate two balloons and shoved them behind her
gills. Now I know fish don't get pregnant but I suspect she may be
full of eggs <Mmm, no... not at this size> as she is otherwise
happy and healthy and just as sprightly as ever despite her bulbous
condition, always begging for food as soon as you look at
her. And Mickey is chasing her everywhere and has been for
about a week. <Not atypical goldfish behavior... and not a worry
unless "excessive"...> He is also in perfect
health. I have bought some very leafy plants in the case
that she needs somewhere to lay her eggs (forgive me I am a goldfish
moron and am going purely on every fact (I use the term loosely) I have
ever heard about goldfish). <No worries> If she is pregnant (so
to speak) will I notice the eggs when she lays them, how long before
that might happen, do I need to banish Mickey to avoid him snacking on
his children? <Again... likely the development is simply
"expression" of genetic potential... the fish doing what
it's going to do... Do take a read on WWM re Goldfish Systems...
and take care re maintenance of this small volume... too easy to get
into trouble.> Thank you!!! Fish lover and fish idiot. Chanelle.
<You're in good company here. Bob Fenner>

Goldfish repro., not 1/11/07 Yesterday we
bough two goldfish our first ever, today we noticed tiny bubbles on the
glass and on the plants could this be eggs help. <Mmm, likely just
air... from dissolved gas in the new water... or air entrained through
filtration, aeration... Goldfish are quite large when they reproduce...
I have a concern that this system is not cycled... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm and the
linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Will goldfish mating harm my female
fish? 6/14/06 Hello, and thank you for such a
wonderful website. I Googled information about goldfish
mating behavior and came across your site. <Thank you for this
info.> After reading many of the FAQs regarding
mating/spawning behavior, I feel I still need to ask for more help and
information. <Okay> Here's the situation: I have a
small (50 gallon) outdoor natural pond. It's very healthy, with
lots of plants and snails. A few years ago I bought 3 comets
and 1 shubunkin (Manny, Moe, Jack, and Vinnie), who have grown and
thrived. They are now about 3 inches long. Late
last summer my dear mother passed away quite
unexpectedly. She had several pets, including an extremely
large feeder goldfish named Bubbles whom she kept in a barrel pond
outdoors. We immediately brought Bubbles home and put
"him" into the pond, where "he" was just as a happy
as a clam. Bubbles is about 6-7 inches long, and just
huge. Today I began to notice extreme spawning behavior
amongst the fish, and now realize Bubbles is a
"she." The other 4 fish in the pond are
relentlessly pursuing her, even though she's a whale compared to
them. (I don't know Bubbles' age, but she's at
least 4 years old.) <Yes... seasonal... the "hots" for
sure> I'm very concerned about Bubbles in that I'm afraid
the other 4 fish will just wear her out. <You are right to be
concerned here. In this too small volume there is too likely to be
damage... Need separating, pronto> I don't want to
lose her. Not for a long time (in fish years) yet. She's
such a memory of my mom that it would just break my heart if something
happened to her that I could've prevented. The problem
is, I don't know where to put Bubbles (if I remove her from the
main pond, which is covered) to keep her safe (I'd have to devise a
covered situation because we have raccoon attacks). <Good> I also
don't know how long she'd have to be away from the main pond if
I DID remove her. How long does this mating behavior go
on? <During most all warm/er months... Spring... Summer
into Fall...> If it's just a day or two, can the female deal
with it? <Mmm, possibly... but I would not risk this in the size
system you have, the number of fish...> Another problem
is that I'll be leaving on a two and a half week vacation starting
in early July. I have someone house-sitting, and so taking
care of the pond, but.??? What would you do?!
<Mmm, keep the female separated... change out some water from the
pond into the container where "Bubbles" resides, hide the
food... more potential trouble from feeding during your holiday than
it's worth feeding> Thanks VERY very much. Annette in
Washington <Bob Fenner in S. Cal.>

Re: Will goldfish mating harm my
female fish? 06/14/2006 Hi Bob, and thanks for your speedy
response! I just realized I erred in the size of my
pond. It's actually 100 gallons. Do you
think this makes a difference? <Some... but still too small for what
all is going on here> If not, then Bubbles will have to live in a
small barrel pond for the duration of the summer! <Mmm, do keep
an eye on this container as well as situating it near the house to
curtail large/r swings in temperature, water quality. You might want to
add a air-driven sponge filter... Tetra's Luft pumps are great for
this application, as well as their "Billi" filters or Jungle
Products brand...> Again, thank you! Annette <Welcome. Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish Breeding? 6/10/06 Hi
there, I discovered your website, and I'm loving it! I'm
honestly really sorry if you have answered a question similar to mine,
or if the information I provide is inadequate. Oh, and I'm not
really a goldfish expert, so sorry if the language I use isn't
correct, hehe. Well, here goes. I have eight fish in my tank, all of
which are just plain goldfish, but two, who are fantails. My mum told
me that one of the fantails was a girl. One day, my dad came home from
work and discovered one of the ordinary male goldfishes chasing the
female fantail. <All goldfish are the same species (or di-hybrid
cross), and can, will inter-breed> At first, he thought that he was
somehow bullying her, but after a couple of minutes of research, I soon
found out that it had something to do with breeding. Ever since I got
my goldfish about a year and a half ago, I haven't ever considered
my goldfish breeding. The female fantail that is still being chased by
the male is a new fish. After a week or so, the male stopped chasing
the female fantail. Just recently (about a week after the male stopped)
the male has started chasing her again. <Tis the season... warmer
weather, longer daylight...> I'm scared, I don't really know
much about breeding fish, and hopefully my mum will be able to help
too, as she and her family used to breed fish when they were younger.
My question is this: Is this breeding, and is it normal for ordinary
goldfish to breed with fantails? <Not atypical> Also, the female
is constantly in the corners of my aquarium, and she doesn't swim
around as much as she did before. <She or the male in pursuit should
be placed elsewhere... Pronto> She is always on the bottom of the
aquarium, but recently, she is coming up to the surface to eat. She
used to eat from the bottom, waiting for the food to sink (I feed them
flakes). Is this normal? Thanks for your help! Great website, by the
way! Love from Krystal (12), New Zealand <I would move this female
to another tank for its sake, safety. Mixing "rounder" type
goldfish with "regular" comets can be problematical... in
competing for food, space period... when reproductive behavior is
added, trouble. Bob Fenner>

White sort of pointy spots (goldfish beh.,
repro) 04/17/2006 Hello! I searched the old FAQ's looking
for a way to tell if the white spots on the cheeks of a goldfish are
ich or breeding season indicators, <Hopefully the latter!> but
wasn't able to find a descriptive comparison. <We/I do need/want
"good pix" of most all commonly encountered such phenomena.
Are you able to make some digital pix of these and send?> My
goldfish who is about 3.5 inches long has little clear/white spots on
his/her cheeks ( 3-4 on one, 7-8 on the other) that come to a kind of
point. I read in one post that it is near impossible to tell the boys
from the girls, but just in case, his/her front fins have a sort of
"serrated" edge if that helps in figuring out if little fishy
in a he or a she. <Do think this is a "he"... if the spots
are as you describe, only on the cheeks> How can I tell if he/she is
sick, or if in fact, my fish is a boy, and the other goldfish is a
girl, and they are just about to do what fish do? They have been
swimming around each other and rubbing each other, and chasing too.
<Ahh! Even more evidence> If it is ich, is there a medicine that
can be given with snails in the tank? <Mmm, not as far as I'm
aware. All such treatments are deleterious to snails> Thanks so much
for all of your help in advance. Sorry if these questions are
redundant, I try my best in searching the old FAQs. The site is great,
and I appreciate it very much. xxx kuniko <Doh tashi mashiite my
friend. No worries. Bob Fenner>

Re: White sort of pointy spots (goldfish
beh., repro) 4/21/06 The camera is in the shop, but I
will send a picture as soon as it comes home. The spots are just on the
cheeks though. Is there a time period in which the spots should go away
if the are related to breeding and not ich? <Breeding... not ich>
Will ick spots get worse (i.e. bigger)? <Only nominally... not
much> The spots look pretty much the same as when I emailed last. Do
the spots associated with fish love make a particular pattern? <Not
really... in either case> The one's on my fish's cheeks look
pretty random. If it is ick, I will have to set a hospital tank then
because of the snails, right? <Yes, would> Should I treat both
fish even if the other fish has no bumps or spots? xxx kuniko <... I
would not move or treat these fish. I don't think this is a
parasite. Bob Fenner>

Tank set up for newly hatched fry ...
goldfish repro. 4/8/06 My goldfish laid eggs which I
transferred to a breeding net in the main tank to stop the
parents eating them. The fry hatched overnight; <... usually
involves a few days...> do I have to transfer them to a separate
tank with its own filtration etc. and do partial water changes every
few days, or will the conditions in the main tank within the breeding
net be alright? <Mmm, well... better to move the parents, other
fishes... But if you do move the fry, do so with a good volume of their
existing water...> The tank is 130 liters and has three adult fish.
I do a 1/4 water change every one to two weeks. Will this be enough to
keep maintain the water quality for the fry? Thanks, Adele. <You
should test various aspects daily, be ready to do change outs more
frequently... Please read here for more general goldfish
breeding/rearing info: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshbreeding.htm
Oh, and congratulations! Bob Fenner>

Pregnant goldfish in
winter? Not likely - 03/26/2006 Stumbled across your
site...very informative! Did a search but could not find an answer
to my question... perhaps you can help? <Maybe> We have four
goldfish in a 100 gallon horse trough, regularly cleaned
and heated during the winter to the 40's degrees. These fish
are about 4-5 years old, and one has developed bulging sides, and
has stayed this way for three weeks. One of the other three seems
more interested in the bulging one, at times. The bulging one
appears healthy and eats well (not overeats.) Could this be
pregnancy? <Mmm... not likely> It is still winter weather with
snow here, on and off...would the weather affect this? <Yes...
but almost assuredly not w/o the temperature rising, staying in the
60's F. at least for days, weeks...> Thanks for any help you may
offer. <What you're observing is far more likely some sort of
tumorous growth anomaly... you could add Epsom and/or aquarium salt
here... or just let time go by and see if this fish self-cures. I do
hope/trust you are not actually feeding these fish at this
temperature/season. Bob Fenner>

Sexing Goldfish
3/19/06 I just got a black moor today and I don't know what sex
she is could you help me? It's got split tail fins and its pretty
slender. <Not able to be sexed externally generally... See WWM re
the prenuptial tubercles of males in season. Bob Fenner> Goldfish
hybrids 2/23/06 Hello, <Hi there> I have a few
questions for you regarding my beautiful breeding goldfish. I have a
large orange Ryukin and a medium black/brown Oranda that have spawned.
The eggs are developing nicely ( I can barely see the cell divisions
with the naked eyes, but alas am doing my best). My questions are as
follows ( after countless hours of attempting to research these
questions on my own): 1: Do you have any links that show pictures of
this hybrid? <Mmm, I don't think so... will be a mix of both
varieties and some "blends" as you state> 2: the eggs are
incubating at 80 degrees, will the fry be deformed and will the
incubation time be less than 4 days? <I'd keep these a bit
cooler (the low seventies F.)> 3: When the fish spawn, why was I
unable to see milt from the male, even with a light cast on the
experience? <Isn't all that apparent... and all that much...
professional breeders use 2,3 or more males per spawning female to
insure fertilization> 4: How soon can my female replenish her eggs
and ultimately breed again? <A few weeks under propitious
circumstances> 5: I would like to see documented embryogenesis
stages of goldfish eggs, what link, if any, can you recommend? <I
thinks someone has sent this very info. today. Please check the dailies
re... Perhaps it was you in a later e-mail> Your website is the best
I have seen in regards to information, thanks a million and I am
anxiously looking forward to your response. Michael- <There are some
fine "goldfish books" in print. Do you have a collection? Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish Embryology and fry development with
figures! 2/23/06 Hello again, <Ah, yes... it was you
Michael> Michael here
again. While waiting for a response to the questions I had asked I came
across one of the answers. The following is an absolutely fantastic,
extremely detailed article on goldfish embryology, the stages of
development of the fish inside the egg, and the stages of fry
development of the fry....ITS FULL OF FIGURES. It is very
scientific however, but I do enjoy reading a detailed and quantitative
paper, especially on something so precise. THE EMBRYOLOGY AND LARVAL
DEVELOPMENT. OF THE GOLDFISH (CARASSIUS AURATUS L.) FROM LAKE ERIE.
HELEN I. BATTLE. Department of Zoology, University of Western https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/3077/1/V40N02_082.pdf
Thanks again and I hope to hear from you soon. These figures of
development are going above my hatching tank, something interesting to
compare with since watching the eggs develop is about as exciting as
watching grass grow. Take care, Michael <Thank you for this. Bob
Fenner>

Gold Fish Breeding 2/22/06 Hi my name is
Dan I have a pond that is about 10' wide and 3' deep. I have
around 20 goldfish in it not sure about the type. I know that I have at
least 6 female's and two of them are showing signs of breeding. I
was looking at the pond the other day and noticed that I <I> had
some baby fry. I would say 1/4 '' to 1'' in length and
all my other goldfish are 3'' to 8'' . I had put
them in last year around September 05 hoping to breed them
this year. Could these fry be from last year or could they have gotten
this big from this year. <Likely from last year...> We have had
some warm weather this year it has gotten around 50 to 60 degrees for a
few day's and dropped to the low teen's would that have had an
effect on their spawning ? <Yes> Also could these couple of warm
day's have caused them to spawn early? <Possibly, but
doubtful... takes some time for the fish to "come into breeding
condition"... weeks of warm/er weather> If so will I still be
able to hand breed them in a separate 80 gal. tank? <Mmm, not
yet> Also if I can still breed them in a different tank how may
time's will or can they spawn. I have been looking this up for a
while hoping to do some breeding so any info on this matter will help a
lot
sincerely
Dan <See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshbreeding.htm and
the Related FAQs linked above. Bob Fenner>

Lionhead Goldfish - 02/20/06 I have a female
Lionhead that looks like she is very pregnant. She is in my
Koi Pond with several other types of fish, but no other
Lionheads. I was told by a neighbor that I need to find a
male Lionhead so that she would lay the eggs, otherwise, it would kill
her. <Mmm, no> I checked with a pet store and they
have 5 Lionheads, but said that they can't tell whether they are
female or male. Is my neighbor right in that I need to find
a male? <All goldfishes will interbreed (like domestic dogs
they're all the same species, actually di-hybrid cross), otherwise
will re-sorb the egg material...> If so, how do I insure that I am
purchasing a male? <Can be sexed at times... Spring mostly... though
not easily done by the uninitiated. I would not worry or seek out a
male or other Lionhead though...> Thanks for your help, Ric Maxfield
Kapolei, HI <A hu'i ho! Bob Fenner>
Re: Lionhead
Goldfish - 02/20/06 I don't know if it makes much
difference, but I'm pretty sure now that she is a red cap Oranda
rather than a lionhead. <Mmm, nope... unless you do intend to breed
this fish, want a greater percentage of young that look like this> I
found a picture on another site of a red cap and it matches her
perfectly. Thanks again, <Aloha, Bob Fenner>

2 Goldfish spawning & Fry Questions..... -
2/15/2006 HI! After much searching on the web, I
haven't found much out, so I thought maybe you could help!
My first question is this: Is there a way to
Stop my fantail calico goldfish from spawning sooo much??? <?>
For 8 weeks now she has spawned 1-2 times a week every
week. That just seems like a ton, and we feel bad
for her since the males chase her vigorously for hours on end.
<Separate from the males...> My
second question is about fry. We kept some of the fry and
are raising them. We have 8 that are in a 5g tank, but they still seem
VERY small for being 6weeks old. They are maybe 1/2"to 3/4"
big is all, still pretty translucent. Should they be bigger
than this at 6weeks??? <No... this is about it>
Any help would be GREAT! Thanks so much :)
<Congratulations on your spawning, rearing experience. Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish Is Not Pregnant 1/7/06 Hi my
name is Daleigh I have a 10 gallon fish tank with about 4 small
goldfish in there but I bought a fish yesterday and I thought it was
just deformed or something but to find out I believe it is
pregnant!!..And it is laying in the grass in my tank, its been there
for a while. I bought and net box so when she does have them , I can
put the babies in there so the adults wont eat them. But my question is
when will they hatch if she is laying them now? Please help never had a
pregnant fish before! Thank you < Your goldfish is probably sick
with an internal bacterial infection and not pregnant. Do a 50% water
change, vacuum the gravel and clean the filter. Treat with
Metronidazole as per the directions on the package.-Chuck>

Goldfish Fry - 10/21/2005 Hi, I've read through the
questions on your site that have been sent in regarding the
reproduction of goldfish, but I have some questions that aren't
answered, and I'm not having any luck through Google.
<Well, let's see what we can do.> We have two black moors in
an 18 gallon tank. <Err.... too small.> Not long ago we
noticed that one of them had some white spots on the leading ray of
it's pectoral fins; initially we thought it might be a fungus, but
this was followed by what we mistook for aggression toward our other
black moor, and now know to have been spawning. A day after we did our
routine water change we spotted some fry in the tank; we were
completely surprised since we didn't even know that our fish are of
opposite sex or that the "fighting" we were seeing was
spawning. Sadly, it would seem that we "vacuumed" up many of
the fry knowingly when we did our water change, <Yikes!> and we
were only able to gather up 3 of them before their parents devoured the
remaining 4 or 5 that we spotted. <Mmmm, tasty.> Now we
have these 3 itty bitty fry (only about 5mm) in a very small tank (only
about 5 gallons) along with a sponge filter, and have been feeding them
a couple of drops of Liquifry each day for the last two days. If they
survive, we intend to purchase a much larger tank for their parents,
<Ah, good. Should do this regardless, if possible.> and when the
little guys are large enough, move them into the 18 gallon tank that we
have. My questions are: Is the 5 gallon tank we have the fry in large
enough for now? <For now, sure.> What are the chances that
all or any of the fry will survive (we are doing 25% water changes with
good quality, well balanced water every 2 days)? <Chances are
pretty good for 'em.> How quickly will they mature into
something that resembles a goldfish, <Probably a few to several
weeks.> and is there a way to speed this process up? <Very
high quality foods. Newly hatched baby brine shrimp, for one.> What
temperature should we be keeping the fry at? <Probably somewhere
between 65*F and 75*F.> Thank you much, -Lela <Sounds like
you're doing great so far! Wishing you well,
-Sabrina>
Goldfish Fry - II - 10/22/2005 Dear Sabrina and WWM,
<Hello, Lela!> Thank you for your reply. We are definitely
planning to buy a much larger tank for our two original black moors,
but were trying to hold off until December because we have purchased a
house that won't be ready to move into until that time. Our little
apartment won't accommodate the type of set up that we want to get,
but now you have me worried. We have had the two original black moors
in their 18 gallon tall tank for over a year, and they do seem to be
outgrowing it, but seem healthy and happy. Will they be ok for
another two months in there? <Oh, sure. A couple of months is
okay. I would aim, if possible, for a 40 gallon tank.... A 30 at the
least. Might actually be most cost-effective to go with a more
standardly available 55 - some places, a "kit" including very
basic components is cheaper than a bare 40 gallon tank.> Also, you
mentioned that the fry should be kept at between 65Âº and
75ÂºF; we live in Texas, and though we keep the air
conditioning on very low all day, room temperature hovers around
76Âº or 78Âº. Is there another way to keep our fish
cool? <76 o5 78 is probably okay.... though cooler would be better.
If you wish to decrease the temp some, you can aim a fan across the
surface of the water. This will probably drop the temp a few
degrees.> Thank you again, -Lela <All the best,
-Sabrina>
Goldfish Fry - III - 10/22/2005 I just re-read my
original message to you, and we *unknowingly* vacuumed up some of the
fry from the original tank, not knowingly. Goodness, we sound like
monsters knowingly vacuuming up those cute babies! Definitely not the
case. <Heh! No worries, hon; I know/knew what you meant.... in fact,
I fear it may have been a poor editing/formatting job on my part. I
seem to remember that word having been misspelled.... or perhaps messed
up from our webmail system, or something.... and so I quickly changed
it before sending, as we post all these on our site; must repair
grammatical and spelling errors when possible. My apologies, and no,
you're not a monster! Take care of those young'uns! -
Sabrina>

Goldfish May Be Breeding 9/29/05 Hello Robert
< Chuck here this time.> I am sending you this email hoping you
can answer my question about my goldfish, as I would like some advise
on how to treat the illness. We have got 2 goldfish in a pond feature
in our front garden over here in Perth WA. We have noticed that 1 of
our goldfish has got many white lumps of some sort over its body and
near its eyes. The fish itself has not changed in anyway it still eats
well but I am concerned that the lumps are appearing more over its body
and might result in my goldfish becoming ill. Could you please help me
and advise on what the lumps could be and also what we need to do to
get rid of them. Thank you for your time in this matter. Kathryn
Lawton. < Males develop little bumps over their gill plates and
pectoral fins when they are getting ready to spawn. Look at your
goldfish closely and then try to find some photos on the net to compare
to your fish.-Chuck>

Small goldfish spawning? 8/31/05 I have 6 small
comet goldfish in a 25 gallon tank, I have had them for about 3 months
from a pet shop. Each fish is about 4-6 cm long. <Too small to
reproduce> A few days ago I noticed some small white/grey spots on
the bodies of some of the goldfish, I did some research and thought
that this might mean that they are males (I cannot tell if there are
spots on the gills as well). <The so-called pre-nuptial tubercles
are located only on the head region> Today one of the goldfish (one
without the spots), started shaking a bit and looked like she might be
laying eggs, but is smaller than most people say the breeding size is.
I could not see any eggs, but one of the other fish was pecking at the
gravel underneath her. Was this her spawning? Is she or the others
diseased? What should I do? Thanks Kathryn <Unfortunately, it reads
that your Comets are infested with a parasite, likely
"ich"... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwich.htm and on to
the linked files above... If so, you will want to carefully use a
commercial anti-ich medicine. Bob Fenner>

Mystery Fish, Reproduction, Rearing - 08/19/2005 Hello,
I have read through your site many times, it is great. <The whole
site? Many times? Wow! I've been
answering questions for a few years, now, and still haven't
scratched the surface.... 'Tis a big site!> But I did
not find a few things I was looking for. I have 8 fish, all
less than 5" in a 33 gallon tank with filter, live plants and
other decorations. <What kind of fish?> My two
biggest fish, one 5" and one 4" have been chasing each
other. Today the smaller one started letting go of her
eggs. What I am wondering about is, the larger fish seems to
be acting as the male but with goldfish shouldn't it be the smaller
one? <Ahh, so at least this pair are goldfish? You might
be a mite overstocked.... just something to
consider. In any case, just like with people, there are
exceptions to any rule. I recall in high school, I dated a
fellah three years older than me whose head didn't quite reach my
shoulder. Uncommon, but possible. Same with
fish.> Also, is there any way to get the male to fertilize the eggs
in the tank? <If they are spawning, the male will fertilize them as
the female lays them.> I will have to move the eggs as I have too
many fish to move them out of the tank. <Be quick, or
they'll be eaten!> I also have a large filter that does 100
gallons an hour, with this kind of turnover if the male does fertilize
won't it get filtered out too quickly to fertilize?
<Not an issue.... Goldfish have spawned in streams with
no intervention/help from man for many, many years. If the
eggs are laid, and the spawning pair included a healthy, fertile male
and female, the eggs are fertilized.> This has caught me totally off
guard, I never expected them to start this. Thank you very
much, sorry if I asked questions you have already
answered. Sincerely, Alden Knight <No
worries! Wishing you and your possible new goldfish spawn
well, -Sabrina>

Goldfish crosses 8/19/05 Hope you
have a second to help me out, I'm very confused all of a sudden.
<Mmm, am pretty much that way all the time...> My fish have been
spawning almost daily since April 22nd and still continue to do so, so
I definitely know how that works and who are the males and who are the
females. Here's part question/part confusion. I wrangled
13 fry on July 19th. Some for my brother, some for a
neighbor. They are in a 10 gal tank on my back
porch. I noticed 2 days ago doing a water change that one,
and only one fry is a fantail. <Happens> Here's were I'm
so confused. I have one male fantail Shubunkin and one
female Ryukin. Now, unless this fantail fry quits growing longer and
starts growing in height, it's a Ryukin. But, it looks
like my male Shubunkin. What female had this baby fry if not the
Ryukin??? My females are Sarasas, Shubunkins and common goldfish none
are fantails. <Could be any... but likely the Comets... they just
are more active spawners...> I hope you can and don't mind
solving this mystery for me. I've tried to Google for my
answer but I guess I just don't know how to phrase it. Thanks for
reading and if you don't respond, that is perfectly ok with
me. Edie <Goldfish that have been crossed a good deal
(most domestically have) do not "spawn true"... and they are
all the same species (actually cross)... somewhat like domestic dogs...
Bob Fenner>
Re: Goldfish crossbreeding... results 8/20/05 Thanks so
much for your time. I was thinking it had something to do
with lineage. Edie <In a manner of speaking, it is... just a far
"looser", dynamic lineage than many folks are aware of. Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish & having babies 7/19/05 My wife wanted
to know if Gold Fish die after they have babies? The mother seems to
have disappeared after birth. Thanks, Bill Warren <Mmm, no...
don't perish after breeding... Might have jumped out... or if
outdoors, been predated... Bob Fenner>

Spawning goldfish? 7/15/05 I have an Oranda and
a Pearlscale goldfish living together. I'm pretty sure
the Pearlscale is a female and the Oranda a male as they
have been showing signs of courtship (every morning the
Oranda follows the Pearlscale quickly around the tank with his face in
her back end). <Mmm, not necessarily indicative> This behavior
lasted about two weeks and nothing ever came of it. The last
few days I haven't noticed any of this. The Oranda never got
the white spots I've read so much about, the Pearlscale
is very round but no more then normal (I've had her for a year),
and no eggs were ever laid. Was I wrong to believe this was
mating behavior? <Likely so> Was she unreceptive and he just gave
up? Is that possible? Just wondering. Thanks, Christine
<Perhaps your fish are too young... maybe not properly conditioned
(through feeding, water changes...). They might have spawned and eaten
the eggs... Bob Fenner>

Poor English, Goldfish Hi there I
have two questions 1 I have 9 goldfish some fantails, common and moor
and also have two paradise fish and some minnows they all get on
(minnows are being eaten) but we know we have at least two males and
there have been signs of mating but they are not I check everyday for
eggs will they and when do they and 2 I have another one that I'm
sure is egg bound and has been for a while she has just started
floating upside down as no balance what else can we do to relieve
her thank you <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Flaming Goldfish? I recently had a goldfish that just
combusted can you tell me why this is so. <?!> Every now and then
it would swim on its side. I thought that maybe it was
getting ready to lay eggs so I moved it to another tank by
itself. I kept close watch and then it got really depressed
and thin. I was afraid it would die so I put it back with
the others. It's symptoms returned and the other night
it just combusted. I don't want this to happen to the
others so can you give me any idea as to why this
happened. Thanks Elizabeth <... perhaps nutritional...
environmental... Maybe your fish is becoming egg-bound? Please read on
WWM re Goldfish foods/feeding, systems, disease... Bob Fenner>

Pregnant goldfish My white goldfish is pregnant, going on two
weeks, and she looks like sheÂ¹s going to explode (about
5Â² long). Today, I noticed that there are now
large red areas on both sides, kind of like blood
inside. She has continued to get bigger and
bigger. Is something wrong? <Sounds/reads like it>
Prior to becoming pregnant, the male was riding her side. I
have 4 gold fish in a 100 gallon outdoor pond, plenty of foliage, water
well kept/clear, oxygenating plants, etc. Reesa Doebbler <This fish
could be egg-bound... might be diseased otherwise... I would treat it,
and probably the other fish in this size system, with Epsom Salt... as
gone over and over on our Freshwater and Pond Subweb sites. Bob
Fenner>

Pregnant goldfish full of roe We have one goldfish in
our Koi/goldfish mix that appears to be full of roe. She is
quite swollen in the abdomen and has been so for a couple of months
now. <Mmm, if it's been months the fish may be
"egg-bound"... or perhaps just fat!> Because we
weren't sure that she wasn't carrying a parasite or disease, we
moved her to our smaller (600-700 gal) outside pond where
she now resides by herself. I checked your FAQs and understand that
Epsom salts, added to the water, may make her discharge the
roe. Is this correct? <Yes... a safe and often effective
cathartic for such blockages> But is she retaining the
roe in the first place because she isn't with a male who is
available to fertilize the eggs? <Doubtful> Should we put her
back into the pond with the other fish instead? <I would
try the Epsom Salt in a small/er container first... for a week or
two...> Then, if she discharges the roe and a male fertilizes it,
probably all the little ones will get eaten by the Koi and other
goldfish. <Not all... there are many and these are not as palatable
as many folks think> If we elect to add Epsom salts to the water,
how much should we add to a 21 gal holding tub and how long should we
keep her in that? Thanks, Sue Sweeney <Ahh! A good two teaspoons...
for a week or two should do it. Do monitor ammonia... be ready to
switch out polluted water. Bob Fenner>
Re: Pregnant goldfish full of roe You guys are the
greatest and I thank you for your time! BTW, don't overlook the
entertainment value of your FAQs. Andre and I laughed ourselves silly
over some of the entries last night as we looked for answers about our
pregnant goldfish. Sue Sweeney <Tis fun! BobF>

Reproducing goldfish Ermm - there's eggs
everywhere, so looks like it was a mating ritual'¦the 3 other
goldfish are still chasing her and more eggs coming out'¦do I
just let them be until they are done, then collect the eggs or do I
remove both her and the eggs now? <Best to remove all adults, leave
eggs in place> I am sure this is on the site somewhere, but I have
searched and been unable to find. Weird note, these goldfish were
supposedly babies when purchased, only 2 months ago- I read that a
healthy breeding age was 1-3yrs old'¦they did go through a
growth spurt tripling in size, could the bloodworms and brine shrimp be
responsible and should I stop feeding them these? <Mmm, perhaps
these fish were older than you thought. Not the food> Again thanks
for your help and sorry for the horrendous grammar and spelling.
Brittany <Luckily your email addy was on this copy... the
"tray", means to respond to your mail did not come through...
This is happening more and more. Bob Fenner>
Re: Reproducing goldfish Thanks again for your help!!!
Goldfish have all settled down now and apparent aggression (lol
breeding) gone. <Ahh, good> Hrmm, wonder why the mail to:
isn't populating... weird since very simple call. Not sure which
box I originally sent from, but I run a freePOPs Linux app to avoid
logging into hotmail accounts, that maybe causing some issues- so more
than likely it's a my side issue. Thanks for the heads-up. Hehe,
I'll just start tagging email in the future, still much simpler
than logging into 50k different email addy's :-) <Wish I knew a
simple fix... we get a couple, three such "unanswerable"
queries per day... Am fearful folks are wondering where their responses
are, are hopefully seeking alternative input. Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish, WWM Hey... My name is Emily! I just bought a
gold fish the other day to put in the tank with the one I have had for
like the past 3 months! Ok...That isn't my problem! My problem I
...I think the new goldfish is pregnant! Well carrying eggs! What do I
do? How can I tell if she is going to let her eggs out? Do I need to
move her some where else? Can the filter suck up the eggs when she
releases them if she is really pregnant? HELP! Emily <Emily, please
go to our site (URL above) and read re Goldfish reproduction,
feeding... Bob Fenner>

Goldfish breeding Dear WWM crew, I know you all get
tired of people's questions so I'll make it short. I have a
female calico Shubunkin that spawned in one of my aquariums with a red
and calico fantail male. I was wondering what the fry will be as they
grow up? Will they be deformed? What should I expect? Thanks, Jarrett
<The young will look like non-descript fusiform shapes as young,
develop into a mix of traits of the parents, including color with
age/growth. All goldfish are the same species... sort of like domestic
dogs... can and do interbreed. Bob Fenner>

Death of Goldfish Through Aggression (Goldfish Love,
According to Don) Hi all, I've been going through all your FAQs
and have seen lots of questions about goldfish aggression. However,
this is a slightly different case, and I wonder if you could help. We
(had) 3 goldfish, Nemo, Sparkle and Tiger. Tiger is very much the
rampant male, particularly this time of year towards Nemo, and Sparkle
has often tried to get in the way between them when Tiger chases Nemo.
It always seemed to be lust, to be honest! However, this morning we
found Nemo lying dead at the bottom of the tank. She was terribly
bruised and had some of her back fin missing. She has been in excellent
health her entire life (around eighteen months) so we're sure it
wasn't due to ill health. In addition, Sparkle appears to have
bruising around the one side of her head - is it possible that Tiger
attacked Nemo, and Sparkle got in the way? Sparkle is now fine in
herself, swimming around like usual, but I'm concerned Tiger could
turn on him too - although I haven't seen him behave like this
towards Sparkle before. Should I be concerned? Thanks, Kate
<Goldfish love can be aggressive. If Nemo was the lone female then
things should calm down. But should you be concerned? Of course. Keep
an eye out for more aggression and be prepared to separate them.
Don>

Pregnant goldfish Sun, 27 Mar 2005 I know you must get
thousands of e-mails. I am sorry to add to your load. Just a quick
questions, I long will my goldfish be bloated with eggs? <Should be
no more than a week or so...> I am pretty sure she has eggs in her
tummy but she has had them for a week and I wondered how long she will
continue in this state. She is really fat now and I wonder if she will
explode!! Thanks for all you do. Dana <Your fish may well not be
full of eggs, but perhaps suffering from a "dropsical
condition"... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm
and on to the Related FAQs linked above... Likely addition of Epsom
Salt will help here. Bob Fenner>

A Good Question - Culling fry humanely When breeding
goldfish and getting your spawn, what is the most humane way to cull
the deformed or inadequate goldfish fry? Regards, M <To place them
in a bag with little water, freeze them. Bob Fenner>

UNWANTED REPRODUCTION Dear crew: A few weeks ago I got
some goldfish. We have about 8 in a 10 gallon tank. <Yikes... this
is way too much life in this volume> Recently 2 of the comets have
started, I think, to spawn. I am totally new at this. The male has
white bumps on him. Do we need to move them into a new tank alone?
<Mmm, if you don't want them to spawn I would not... if you do,
you'll want a much larger tank... at least forty gallons... to
raise (some of the) young in> We are thinking about getting a 10
gallon tank to put them in. That is all I have the money for. I
don't know what to put in the new tank or what to do at all. I want
the eggs to live if the female has any. please hurry. I don't think
I've got much time at all. I just want to buy the necessities
before the eggs come. Has been going on for 1 and a half days. Thanks
loads! <I would actually give away all but two of the fish you'd
like to keep... for a short while depending on how big they are now...
Goldfish need more room... ultimately a good 15-20 gallons per
individual... Please read here re their systems: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm
and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>

Goldfish repro. questions How long are
goldfish pregnant? How can you tell? How can you tell male
from female? What do I do before during and after laying of
eggs? Will the other fish eat the eggs? Tammy A. Romo
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshreprofaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>

Goldfish: problems with breeding Dear
wetwebmedia.com, I have a common goldfish in my tank, I thought he/she
was lonely so I bought 2 Shubunkin Veiltails and 1 redcap veiltail. I
also did this because I wanted to breed them together to start a hobby.
I am unsure of their gender as they do not show any kind of tubercles
but the 3 Veiltails are quite wide bodied but I guess that is how they
are bred. <Yes... and the tubercles will only show in mature males
in breeding condition> I have raised the temperature of the tank so
that it is a steady 25 degrees Celsius, <77 F> have planted some
long leafed aquarium plants and do a 30% water change per week. I am
writing to you to see if I am doing anything wrong. All the fish are
happy but no signs of mating have occurred (i.e. chasing) so I was
wondering if I have to stimulate them as I keep the tank temperature
the same all year round because it is in my room. Please
help!!! Best of luck M <Sounds like a very nice set-up... and
you're doing all right as far as I can tell... Likely your fish are
just too young to spawn at this time... give them some time (six months
or so) and try periodically raising temperature (a couple of degrees
C.) along with your water changes... this and good feeding, maintenance
in general ought to reward you with breeding behavior... Now, do you
have enough room, capacity for raising young? Bob
Fenner>
Re: Goldfish: problems with breeding
<Now, do you have enough room, capacity for raising
young? Bob Fenner> I have a hexagonal tank which is about 32
centimetres long along the longest bit and is about 28 centimetres
high, so I will be getting a bigger tank soon so that my fish will have
space to grow. Also I would like to know: will all these fish happily
breed with each other? <They may... all goldfish are
interbreedable> How long would you say in inches a goldfish is when
it becomes of breeding age? <Overall... some at 2 1/2-3"... as
young as six months...> Should I have a separate tank for breeding
set at a higher temperature to stimulate breeding when the goldfish
mature? <Yes... this is what is done in commercial operations. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Breeding Goldfish <<Will tubercles show on
the males and the females fill with eggs as soon as these fish hit
their breeding age? Do you think that any fish store will take my
'good quality' goldfish to sell (how much per fish do you
think?)? You have been most helpful with my problems>>
<Please read here:
Breeding Goldfishes Bob Fenner>

Goldfish, plants and breeding Dear crew, Just wanted to
know but how do I 'inspire' my goldfish to breed? Can
adding a live aquarium plant help? Martin Slough <Mmm, this
can definitely help... trigger reproduction... along with conditioning
(feeding), keeping males and females separated... and particularly by
raising temperature of their water... there is MUCH written re: this,
the most, longest cultured of aquatic ornamentals. Bob
Fenner>

Goldfish breeding, clarity, lack of follow-through a
few years ago I bought a goldfish. recently I bought another Goldfish
that has white spots all over it's body, could this be a male?
<Mmm, not all over... this is a disease> <<I must have
exaggerated, it's just on the pectoral fins>> the first
goldfish is generally big. how can I get them to mate, they don't
really seem to notice each other. the male is smaller than the female.
Do I need to raise the temperature in the tank or give them a different
diet or what? regards Martin <White "prenuptial tubercles"
can occur on males... in breeding season/condition... not on pectoral
fins... see where you were sent re Goldfish Disease: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm
and the blue links above. Bob Fenner> Breeding... what? Dear
team, how do I get my 2 fish (male + female) to breed together. do I
separate them temporarily, raise the temperature of their tank or do
something to their diet? I'm clueless of what to do!!! please help
me <Heeeee! What, which species? Bob Fenner> <<they are
just plain ordinary goldfish, I think they are feeders because they are
orange and don't have long tails>> <Ahh... my friend...
learn to help yourself... see this index: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm
Go there, scan down to the area about goldfish, READ the section on
reproduction. Thank you, Bob Fenner>

Pregnant bubble eye
goldfish? I recently purchased a bubble eye gold fish, and it looks
like it might be pregnant. It has a unusually big stomach
and looks very uncomfortable. I was wondering if there's
a way to tell for sure, I have already separated it from the other
fishes. What can I do to help it? Thanks <Mmm, not likely
pregnant... the species are egg-layers... or egg-bound... but perhaps
overweight even for an egg-shaped breed. What do you feed this fish?
Please read over our coverage of goldfish... You can find all here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsubwebindex.htm
Bob Fenner>

Have lot's of egg's Hello my name is Faye and I
have a question for you - please help. <Hi...this is
Jorie...I'll try to help you!> I separated my gold fish and put
male and female together about a week later I went to work still no
babies...went to work the next day nothing; I came home and found lots
of eggs - took both mom and dad out now I need to know how long before
they hatch (if I'm lucky), or should I have left them in their with
the eggs?> <You absolutely did the right thing by separating the
fish and their eggs, as the parents would gladly have munched them all
up! Incubation depends on the temperature of the
tank...somewhere around 5 days if the water's at 70 degrees F, and
somewhere around a week if the water's a cooler 65
degrees. What type of setup do you have the eggs in? Be sure
there isn't too strong of a filtration, as that will suck up the
eggs and fry (once they hatch). Also, you'll need to
either grind up some flake food for the new fish, or you can purchase
something like Hikari's First Bites (essentially the same
thing...very fine powder with lots of nutrition packed in there). Hope
you are able to raise your babies through to adulthood! Good job on
providing a healthy environment that your mom and dad fish wanted to
breed in!>> Thanks, Faye Sutton <You're welcome,
Faye. Good luck! Jorie>

Goldfish Sex I have a lone goldfish and was thinking
about how I truly had no idea as to its gender. That go tm e wondering
if it should show some mating sign. I read that the females produce
pheromones to stimulate the males, but do the females lay eggs
regardless of their environmental conditions? Since I have seen nothing
unusual should I assume that my goldfish is a male? <<How big is
the fish? Female goldfish will not, on average, lay eggs unless she is
properly inspired. Normally, to induce spawning in goldfish they must
go through a "cold" phase, like hibernation, then be properly
fed with some good quality foods, including live, and it would help to
have a male present. I am not sure, but there are probably websites you
can do searches on for this information. I wouldn't worry about it,
chances of them spawning in your tank are slim. It happens, but
it's not something that happens very often by accident. Do not
assume it is male, since goldfish are impossible to sex, except by
folks who have already bred them and know just what to look for.
-Gwen>>

Goldfish sexing Hey! Thank you for
the information! I have had my goldfish for about a month and a
half. He or She is very small. It is 2in. long. I
would like to know what gender it is. Is there any possible
way I can tell, or would I need to take it to a pet store? And again
thank you for e-mailing me back! < Typically the males are slimmer
than the females and when they get larger and ready to breed the male
will develop nuptial tubercles or little bumps on the
forehead.-Chuck>

Goldfish Population Dear Fenner, I have a
small garden pond which has recently become overstocked with goldfish
which are growing larger by the day could you suggest my kindest option
to remove some of them 1. Put down by a vet 2. Put in local wild lake,
would they be invasive of local environment 3. Other? <My
"other" options include contacting, selling your excess stock
to a local fish store or garden center, and giving them away to other
folks with ponds, aquariums through an ad, contacts with a local fish
club. Bob Fenner> Please help Best Wishes Nick.

Goldfish Babies! Please help me! My daughter won a feeder
goldfish at a fair. I thought that it would not live to long because of
where we got it. But 3 days later I can home from work to find 30-40
little babies in a single goldfish round bowl(2gallon). I did get a
larger tank. What do I do?? Take mom out?? It looks like she
may be eating them because there are not as many in the bowl. I have
never had a golf fish before. Please help me. Thanks, D <<Dear D;
She is most likely eating them. You can remove them with a siphon, just
suck them up into a bucket, keep them in a separate container, and be
sure to feed them three times a day, but do not overfeed each time...do
daily 50% water changes to keep the waste levels down. Have fun!
-Gwen>>

Fantail Fun Hi. I am new at this and I have
a question for you and I hope that you can help me. I have a
fantail fish his name is Mix. I looked for those white pimples on Mix
but I did not see any on Mix. But he is big I am just wondering if I
got a boy instead of a girl. And I looked at the other two also. Can
you help me this is my first time having fish. Thank-you. Jessie.
<<Dear Jessie, congratulations on your first fish! I hope you
enjoy keeping him and his friends. I cannot tell you if he is a boy or
a girl, because they look alike. When they breed you can tell the boys
because they have the white pimples, but only while breeding! Usually
in the springtime, after a very cold period of hibernation. I guess you
can just assume he is a boy if you like :) -Gwen>>

Goldfish... breeding behavior Dear WWM, I have 4
goldfish. 3 comets and one fantail. I have had them since
last February. For the past month, the 3 comets (which are
males) have been ramming the fantail (which is female) into
the tank walls or gravel or into each other. I began to
look for solutions because I thought that they were just
being violent. Soon, I came to realize that they were
nearing the breeding period of the year so I checked the
males for those pimply things on their gill plates. Tada!
There they were. Is it bad to have 3 males and 1 female in the same
tank. If so, should I get 2 more females? < Either get
more females or remove some males. In the meantime you could add more
cover to the tank to give her a place to rest and recover.-Chuck>
Eugene

Goldfish laying eggs Greetings. Have spent hours trying
to learn about goldfish laying eggs...couldn't find what I
wanted...so am writing. Thank you in advance. We have 4 goldfish in a
25 gallon tank. Water is great, they are healthy. The bubble-cheeked
fish has been hanging upside down in a plastic plant for days. I do not
believe she has eaten...barely moves at all. Is she laying eggs? What
the heck should we do? Will the bigger, more aggressive Molly bother
her/them? Please respond if you can...I'll try the library in the
meantime. Thanks again! < Unfortunately I don't think your
goldfish is laying eggs. When fish are stressed from things like poor
water quality, old food or too high a temp, then their resistance to
disease starts to break down. Some of these break downs occur
externally, but many of the break downs occur internally. I am afraid
your goldfish has a case of bloat/dropsy. It has an internal pocket of
gas that won't let it swim normally and so you find it swimming
oddly and caught in the floating plants. I would recommend treating the
fish with Metronidazole with a 30% water change every other day until
the fish begins to eat again. If you medicate the main tank then you
will need to watch for ammonia spikes because the good bacteria that
break down the fish waste may be affected.-Chuck> Cindy

Pregnant Goldfish? Goldfish are new to us. We're
thinking one may be expecting. < If your goldfish is getting very
fat then it could be caused by a couple of reasons. It could indeed be
pregnant and get ready to lay eggs. It could be an internal disease in
which bacteria are expanding in the gut causing gas. This is also
called dropsy. The poor fish could also just be fat from overfeeding
too. > If she is and gives birth will the other fish eat the babies?
< If eggs are laid then the other fish including the parents will
eat them.> Do We need to put it in a separate bowl with the babies
or away from the babies. < It takes two to tango. The eggs are
fertilized by the male when they are laid. No male means no
fertilization and no babies.> If so, how long before the babies can
reunite with the other fish. < When they are big enough not to be
eaten.. What do we feed the babies? <Baby brine or finely crushed
flake food. How long before the babies are born? < No way of
telling.-Chuck> Thank you Becca

Goldfish and their Lack of Breeding I have installed an
outdoor pond, it holds about a 1000 litres of water. I have 23 various
Goldfish ranging in size from 2.5 - 7 inches in length. I built the
pond in March 2004 (Autumn). <Very nice! I find having a large
outdoor pond is very relaxing.> It has Water Lilies and other
Oxygenating plants in pots as well as a Fountain. The fish all seem
extremely happy in their environment, and from time to time seem go
through the process of chasing one or the other, which I am told is
part of their breeding ritual. <That is a good sign to show that the
goldfish are getting in the mood, though it doesn't mean that they
always go threw with it.> However, it is now February 2004 and we
have seen no sign of young fish. <Perhaps the fish don't have a
proper place to lay the eggs. But most likely the fish are
simply eating the eggs/young before they have a chance to
grow. Unless you have a breeding area, or separate tank to
move the goldfish that are attempting to breed then it's hard to
have them successfully breed in a pond. I suggest you look
at links such as www.goldfishinfo.com, or check out the WetWebMedia
pondfish section. Those should offer some great info for
you.> This is my first pond and I am really puzzled, can you please
help. Thank you.
<Breeding goldfish is not necessarily hard to do, but needs certain
set-up to ensure the eggs and young survive. check the links out, and
good luck.-Magnus>

Goldfish Fry help I had 2 red and white Orandas in a 2
gallon tank for over 6 months after which one of them died. <That is
to small of a tank for a single goldfish let alone 2. It is
hard to keep water parameters correct in such a small volume of
water.> so we moved the one remaining into a 10 gallon tank for
about a month and then added 3 more Orandas (would be upgrading soon to
a bigger tank as I feel its too cramped for 4 fish ). <Yes, that is
far to cramped, but at least you realize that this fish need a larger
tank. As these fish get older they will get messier and
messier. It will be a constant battle to keep the water clean and clear
for the fish, which will take the fun out of having these fish.>
about a week back, I was cleaning the tank as usual and siphoned off
the water while cleaning the gravel. later on I realized that there
were tiny fry swimming around in the siphoned water!! <wow..
congrats! Must have been warmer water and activated their
desire to spawn.> I could only save abt 10 of them as I did not find
the rest :( they were about 4 days old when I found them, as
per many websites and pictures. <many times the parents eat the
young before people find the fry. Yours were lucky to
survive as long as they did.> now its been 6 days after I found them
and all we r left with are 2 fry :( we were feeding them with Infusoria
and baby food powder 3 times a day. we put them in the same tank in a
net breeder. they seemed to be active when I feed them but we have been
losing them at the rate of one per day!!! can u pls suggest what to do
to save at least these two fry?? thanks for all the help :) <Fry are
very hard to keep unless you are prepared for them. Our
goldfish fry had about a 50% survival rate. Here is a great
site to learn more about the goldfish you have. http://www.goldfishinfo.com/spawn.htm#feedschedule Check
the rest of the site as well as links to learn more! good luck
-Magnus>

Goldfish Gender Hello. I am just starting out for the
first time with redcap goldfish. I have two, my question is which is
female or male. I see no white spots on either, but the red part on one
is just on top of its head and the other one the red part starts on its
head and goes all the way down its face, is this a sign of their
gender. Thanks for the info >>Hello :D To sex goldfish, you need
to look at the gill covers. If any of your goldfish have breeding
tubercles (white pimples) on the gill covers, those are the males. You
will also see pimples along the edge of their pectoral fins. Females
have a rounder body as it becomes filled with eggs (roe), and they also
have a larger vent (wee wee area, LOL). -Gwen

Control of (pondfish) Breeding Mr. Fenner: I read
your article on fish spawning and it seems to be directed at the
encouragement of reproduction, in a controlled way. We have bought a
home recently and it has a lovely pond and we are learning to work with
it, but we do not want to have too many fish. All of our animals (cats
and dogs) are spayed and neutered and we feel strongly that we should
not encourage reproduction of pets, in particular, the gold fish in the
pond. I do not want to destroy the excess fish or dump them into ponds
where their future is unknown or doubtful. Is there any way to control
reproduction with food? I hesitate to suggest any chemical for the
water, but any ideas? Donna Schmidt Wichita, Kansas. <Good question
(at least for me thought-provoking and a challenge...). As far as
I'm aware there is no food or environmental control of goldfish
that one might use to prevent their engaging in reproductive
behavior... You can try keeping out "floating plant material"
that might serve to encourage their activity... but there is no way to
sex them when small (so as to keep single sexes only)... or any other
manner I'm familiar with... I encourage you to "trade
out" offspring or give them to neighbors, children if you end up
with excess young. Bob Fenner>

Swim Bladder Problem in Oranda Hello, we are new to the
aquarium world. We have a 65 gallon tank that has a power filter and 2
undergravel filters. It has been established for about a month and a
half. We have a black Oranda that has been in the tank for about a
month. He has been fine except for the past week and half. He eats fine
and interacts with the other fish fine but he spends a lot of time at
the top. He tends to swim sideways sometimes and yesterday when I was
watching from a distance he was laying at the top on his back. I
thought he had died. Then I went over and he just swam to the bottom
really fast. He has no visible signs of a problem, he always seems
hungry. What do you suggest? Thanks Pam <Hi Pam, sounds like swim
bladder problems, could be diet related. I would add some
frozen food and the occasional feeding of peas to the
diet. If this does not help, the addition of Epsom salt to
the water might fix him. If it still does not get better, he
may need to be treated in a separate tank. Take a read over
the goldfish disease FAQs for more information, Best Regards, Gage.
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisfaqs.htm >

Green Ranchu Problems <Hello! Ryan here> We have
had 3 green Ranchu for just over 5 months now. We know we have a male a
female but unsure of the other one! They have been fine, no problems
until 2 days ago. The male & female have produced a white substance
on their foreheads (on the male going down to his mouth). I know
it's not the usual white pimple adults get - doesn't look
anything like it. The other one seems fine (touch wood!). They are not
spawning (have done twice before) or brushing against anything but do
seem to be sucking air at the surface a lot of the time. They don't
seem very interested in feeding either. Any help would be much
appreciated. Regards Wendy <Wendy, it sounds to me that your fish
may have a fungus. Fungal infections are called
Mycoses. I would use a strong Malachite solution and watch
carefully for secondary infections. Some aquarium salt will
help this from becoming a problem again in the future. Use 2
grams per litre! Good luck! Ryan>

Goldfish age How old do goldfish need to be before
having babies....and is there a way to tell the difference between male
and female? Thank You for your help <Goldfish mature at around 1
year and hit their 'prime' at around 3 years. There are several
ways to tell the difference between males and females, the males will
get small white spots on their gills and pectoral fins, the males will
have longer finnage, and when the female is growing eggs, she will get
larger in the middle when viewed from above. There's a good page of
info at http://www.calcna.ab.ca/~prsadlon/bre.html
and also do a search at http://www.wetwebmedia.com for
'breeding goldfish'. You might also try this search on the web
with your favorite search engine. Ronni>

Help (spawning goldfish) Hello, and thank you for your
time. I have three goldfish in an aquarium together when I realized one
of the goldfish were biting at the others fins. <This
happens... most often when they're too crowded... but sometimes due
to nutritional deficiency, other times as part of spawning behavior>
I removed her from the tank and put her in her own bowl. Soon after,
she laid eggs, about 24 hours ago. My question is, can we put the male
in the bowl now to fertilize the eggs? <No my friend.> Will
he? And is it too late? <Yes, for this time (there will be
others). One mechanism nature "provides" to prevent damage,
disastrous genetic mixing is for fish eggs to "harden" (not
accept sperm) a few minutes beyond being shed into the environment.>
I did remove the female, but I don't know what to do now. Thanks
again for your time. <Do study on re the spawning, rearing of these
fish. It is a good idea you did separate them... as in this case their
system might well have become so polluted that they may have perished.
Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdfshbreeding.htm Bob
Fenner>

Re: goldfish mating/breed problems Hello, I've had
my 2 telescope goldfish for over a year now. I just moved
them to a 40 gallon tank from a 15 gallon. <good move> I've
noticed differences in their behavior. First off, I
can't tell which one is male or female or if they're both one
sex. All they do all day long is chase each other
around. One is larger than the other one. The larger one is
a deeper reddish gold color and the smaller is a light orange color
with a white belly. I haven't noticed any of the signs of tubercles
one either one of them. They each seem to chase each other
equally but it seems like they "take turns" when they
chase. I am concerned because when they slam each other into
the walls I'm just worried they're hurting each other. Please
email me back. Thanks for your assistance, <Could be that the larger
redder one is a male and feeling a little frisky. Or they
could be trying to establish dominance in the new tank. I
doubt they will injure each other, but make sure there are no sharp
decorations. You could try removing the aggressor for a few
days while the other gets settled in and then reintroduce them.>
p.s. any advice on what species of fish I can add with my 2 goldfish
would be greatly appreciated. <I would only add other wide bodied
goldfish. Best Regards, Gage More info on this topic can be
found at the link below. http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/goldfishfaqs.htm >

Goldfish breed/ing I have a silver and orange gold fish
I would like to no what breed it might be and also how do you tell if
they are going to have babies. <chances are it is a comet goldfish,
if you use google.com to search for goldfish you should find plenty of
info and pictures to help with a positive ID. You can tell
if they are going to have babies by their behavior and color changes.
-Gage> http://userpages.umbc.edu/~rrhudy1/gfish3.htm

Red lionhead goldfish Could you please tell me if this
fish can breed on its own? I just purchased one and it has
been emitting trails of clearish, tube like string from it's butt
and I was told by the pet store that it could be eggs.... Any help
would be appreciated. Thank you. Becky <Yes, can do so. As
you're likely aware, won't be fertile, hatch... Bob
Fenner>